m]t  ^,  ;m.  mm  ^ttn-arg 


0K57I 
H4 


V^ 


^A. 


[.:?.^'J  ;.-.%,1P*>i 


%..> 


../* 


?i^    --^^v 

^^,^i^ 


^ 


\'5 


f 


V    '':^C 


S00561076    P 


^yffs 


SEA   MOSSES 


^M-^j^^ 


C  Ai.i.iTHAMxrox   v.i-:hsicoj.oi<,    J 
^  'ami  r  HAM  MOV    ni-ri-  uomoim-m  r 


SEA   MOSSES. 


A    COLLECTOR'S    GUIDE 


AN  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE   STUDY 


MARINE    ALG^. 


BY 


A.  B.  HERVEY,  A.M. 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  TWENTY  FULL-PAGF  ENGRAVINGS  IN  COLOR, 
FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS  OF  ACTUAL  SPECIMENS. 


BOSTON  : 

BRADLEE    WHIDDEN. 
1893. 


COPYRIGHT, 

iSSi. 

BY    S.    E.    CASSINO 


TO 

RICHARD     HALSTED     WARD,    M.D., 

Professor  of  Botany 

IN  THE  Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute, 

Troy,  New  York; 

in  the  name  of  a  long  and  true  Friendship; 

AND    IN    appreciative    RECOGNITION 

OF  A  Naturalist, 

DISTINGUISHED    ALIKE    FOR    CLEARLY    APPREHENDING, 

AND    SKILFULLY   IMPARTING 

THE    TREASURES    OF    A    SCIENTIFIC    SCHOLARSHIP, 

SINGULARLY   WIDE    AND    EXACT; 

THIS  BOOK 

IS    AFFECTIONATELY   INSCRIBED 
BY 

THE  AUTHOR. 


63013 


T 


PREFACE 


*31  AVAIL  myself  of  the  last  opportunity  which  I 
^—^  shall  have  for  a  word  with  my  readers  to  add 
a  point  or  two  to  what  will  be  found  on  /.  4,  et  seq., 
of  the  "  Introduction,"  concerning  the  method  of  this 
book.  I  have  attempted  to  make  a  book  which 
should  be  a  real  and  helpful  guide  to  those,  who, 
though  not  expert  botanists,  and  not  having,  or  using, 
any  aids  to  a  good  pair  of  eyes  other  than  a  simple 
pocket  magnifier,  desire  to  begin  the  collection  and 
study  of  marine  plants.  I  have  been  obliged,  there- 
fore, to  resort  to  many  devices  for  making  the  novitiate 
see     for   the    first    time    in    these    plants    what    is   so 


viii.  PRE  FA  CE. 

obvious   to   the   practiced    eye    of  the  experienced  col- 
lector. 

Among  these  is  the  particular  thing  which  I  wish 
to  direct  attention  to  here,  viz. :  the  disarrangement 
of  the  species  in  the  genera.  It  will  be  observed 
that  while  the  genera  have  been  arranged  in  their 
proper  natural  order,  the  species  are  often  grouped 
in  the  text  quite  otherwise.  The  reason  is,  I  have 
taken  those  species,  in  genera  which  contain  several 
for  treatment  first,  which,  on  account  of  their  common- 
ness, or  peculiar  habitat  or  appearance,  could  be  most 
easily  and  certainly  identified.  From  these  I  have 
proceeded  step   by  step    to  the  more  difficult  plants. 

Then  again  I  have  often  found  it  convenient  to 
group  certain  species  together  for  the  advantage  of 
comparison  in  the  description  which  do  not  always 
naturally  belong  together.  »  You  will  therefore  under- 
stand that,  while  the  orders  and  genera  follow  their 
natural  grouping,  in  the  text,  the  species  in  the 
genera  cannot  be  depended  upon  to  do  so,  in  most 
cases. 

I  must  add  a  single  remark  further  on  this  general 
subject.      While    the    several    sub-classes,    the    Green, 


PREFACE.  IX. 

Olive  Colored,  and  Red  Algae,  are  grouped  in  the 
ascending  natural  order,  in  the  text,  the  orders  and 
genera  in  each  of  them  are  arranged  and  treated  in 
exactly  the  opposite  order,  the  first  being  the  most 
highly,  and  the  last  the  most  simply,  organized  genus 
in  each  sub-class. 

I  must  take  this  occasion  to  express  my  large 
indebtedness  to  several  fellow  students  of  Algae,  for 
help  in  making  ready  the  material  for  this  book. 
To  the  published  notes,  the  private  correspondence, 
and  personal  assistance  of  Dr.  Wm.  G.  Farlow  of 
Harvard  University,  I  am  under  very  many  obliga- 
tions. I  can  only  regret,  for  my  readers'  and  my 
book's  sake,  that  I  could  not  avail  myself  of  all  the 
new  knowledge  contained  in  his  Manual  of  New 
England  Algae,  which  is  now  long  overdue  from  the 
Government  Press. 

Prof.  Daniel  C.  Eaton,  of  Yale  College,  has  been 
ever  kind,  obliging,  and  painstaking,  allowing  me  to 
draw  without  stint  upon  his  ample  store  of  know- 
ledge, and  his  well-furnished  herbarium. 

Mr.  Frank  S.  Collins,  of  Maiden,  whose  acquaintance 
with   the    marine    flora   of  Massachusetts    Bay    is   both 


X.  PREFACE. 

extensive  and  accurate ;  Mrs.  Maria  H.  Bray,  oi 
Magnolia,  and  Mrs.  Abbie  L.  Davis,  of  Gloncester, 
who  have  long  been  known  as  careful  students  and 
industrious  collectors  about  the  rocky  and  fertile 
shores  of  Cape  Ann;  and  Miss  M.  A.  Booth,  of  Long 
Meadow,  who  has  spent  several  summers  of  profit- 
able collecting  on  the  east  end  of  Long  Island,  have 
each  kindly  made  out  for  me  lists  of  the  plants 
which  they  have  collected  in  their  several  localities, 
together  with  notes  of  their  special  habitat,  season  of 
growth,   and  frequency  of  appearance. 

Dr.  C.  L.  Anderson,  of  Santa  Cruz,  Cal.,  Dr.  N. 
L.  Dimmick  and  Mrs.  R.  F.  Bingham,  of  Santa  Barbara, 
and  Mr.  Daniel  Cleveland,  of  San  Diego,  ail  well- 
known  collectors  and  Algologists,  have  very  obligingly 
dene  the  same  thing  for  the  plants  of  their  several 
localities  on  the  Pacific  coast.  In  addition  to  that, 
they  have  sent,  me  many  valuable  typical  specimens 
from  the  rich  and  extremely  interesting  flora  of  that 
region. 

Nor  can  I  forget  the  generous  assistance  which 
for  years  past  I  have  received  from  that  veteran  col- 
lector    in    New    York    waters,   Mr.  A.   R.   Young,   of 


PREFA  CE.  xi. 

btcroklyn.  I  have  the  memory  of  many  delightful 
excursions  about  the  shores  of  New  York  Bay  in. 
company  with  him,  who  knows  so  well  when  and 
where  all  the  finer  and  rarer  plants  are  to  be  had. 
I  am  permitted  to  quote  him  all  too  seldom  in  these 
pages  because  the  light  has  been  shut  out  —  let 
us  hope  only  temporarily  —  from  those  eyes  which 
were  ever  so  keen  to  detect,  and  so  appreciative  in 
recognition  of,  the  rare  beauties  of  these  humble, 
but  exquisite  forms. 

If  this  book  shall  be  of  any  sei-vice  to  any  in 
opening  the  way  to  a  knowledge  of  this  department 
of  Botany,  or  shall  contribute  anything  to  the  pleasures 
of  summer  life  by  the  Sea-side,  no  small  part  of  the 
merit  must  be  accorded  to  our  enterprising  publisher, 
Mr.  S.  E.  Cassino,  at  whose  urgent  solicitation  the 
work  was  undertaken,  and  who  has  spared  no  pains 
or  expense  to  make  it  as  valuable  and  acceptable 
as  possible. 

The  plates  for  this  volume  are  engraved  from 
photographs  of  specimens  in  my  herbarium.  In  out- 
line   and  color,  therefore,  they   represent  real  plants. 

It  is  with  no  small  degree  of  soHcitude  that  I  send 


xii.  PREFACE. 

forth  this  little  book  upon  its  mission.  The  best  wish 
I  can  have  for  it  is  that  it  may  impart  to  its  readers 
a  tithe  of  the  pleasure  its  preparation  has  given  to 
its  author.  I  may,  perhaps,  be  allowed  to  hope,  that 
it  shall  communicate  some  interesting  knowledge  to 
many  inquirers,  and  awaken  in  many  appreciative 
minds  an  intelligent  admiration  for  this  part  of  Nature's 
wondrous  handiwork. 


A.  B.  IIERVEY. 

Taunton,   Massachusetts, 
May\   isi,   1881. 


LIST  OF   PLATES. 


ate 

I. 

(C 

IL 

(( 

III. 

It 

IV. 

a 

V. 

(t 

VI. 

« 

VII. 

li 

VIII. 

i( 

IX. 

(( 

X. 

<i 

XI. 

li 

XII. 

i( 

XIII. 

a 

XIV. 

C( 

XV. 

tt 

XVI. 

ii 

XVII. 

a 

XVIII. 

XIX. 


XX. 


Bryopsis  plumosa. 
Ulva  latissima,  var.  Linza. 
Cladophora  arcta. 
ectocarpus  viridis. 
Dasya  elegans. 

POLYSIPHONIA   VIOLACEA. 
PoLYSIPHONIA   PARASITICA. 
MiCROCLADIA    BOREALIS. 
POLYSIPHONIA    BaILEYI. 
Rhodomela  SUBFUSCA. 
Delesseria  sinuosa. 

NiTOPHYLLUM    AnDERSONII. 

Lomentaria  Baileyana. 
Grinnellia  Americana. 
Gelidium  corneum. 
Euthora  cristata. 
Plocamium  coccineum. 
Callophyllis  variegata. 
Ptilota  plumosa. 
Callithamnion  versicolor. 
Callithamnion  heteromorphum. 
Callithamnion  corymbosum. 
Ceramium  fastigiatum. 
Callithamnion  Americanum. 


v^- 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


•o<>o« 


Preface vii. 

CHAPTER  I. 

INTB  OD  UCTIOK 

The  Sea;  its  Voices  and  its  Flowers,  i  —  3.  The 
Plan  and  Purpose  of  this  Book,  4  —  6. 
Scientific  Names  for  "  Sea  Mosses,"  6  —  9. 
Geogr-'Vphical  Distribution,  9  —  12.  Classifica- 
tion, 12  —  13.  Times  and  Places  for  Collect- 
ing, 13  —  17.  Collecting  Apparatus,  17  —  18. 
Mounting  and  Preserving,  19  —  31.  Methods  of 
Study,  31  —  t^6.  Clubs  and  Classes,  2>^  —  2>^. 
History,  39  —  45- 

CHAPTER  H. 

BRIGHT  GBEEN  ALG^. 

Key  to  Genera,  46.  Orders:  Siphonie/e,  47.  Zoo- 
SPOREiE,   49. 


XV, 

CHAPTER  III. 

OLIVE  COLORED  ALG^. 

Key  •  TO  THE  Genera  of  the  Atlantic  Coast,  67. 
Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Pacific  Coast, 
70.  Orders :  Dictyote^e,  73.  Fucace^,  74. 
Ph^ospore.^,  82.  Sub-Orders:  Lajminarie^e,  82. 
Sporochne^,     100.      Asperococce^,    1 01.     Chor- 

DARIE^,     103.       MyRIONEME/E,    IO9.       SpHACELARIE/E, 

no.     Ectocarpe^,    112.     Dictyosiphonie^,    116. 

DeSMARESTIE^,      117.         PuNCTARIE/E,        121.  SCY- 

tosiphone/e,  123. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

BED  ALGJE. 

Key  to  the  Gener.^  of  the  Atlantic  Coast,  125. 
Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  130. 
Sub-Class:  Floridie^,  135.  Orders:  Rhodo- 
MELE^,  138.  Chylocladie/e,  1 6  7.  SpH/EROCOC- 
coiDE^,  168.  Corallines,  183.  Gelidie/e,  185. 
Hypnes,     188.       Rhodymenie/e,     189.      Spongio- 

CARPES,      203.         BaTRACHOSPERME/E,      2O4.        GlGAR- 
TINEiE,     207.         CrYPTONEMIE/E,     228.         DUMONTIES, 

233.     Spyridie/E,    234.     Ceramies,    236. 

Glossary 273 

Index  of   Genera  and  Species 277 


I  baard,  or  seemed  to  hear,  the  chiding  Sea 
Say,  Pilgrim,  why  so  late  and  slow  to  come? 
Am  I  not  always  here,  thy  summer  home? 
Is  not  mj'  voice  thy  music,  morn  and  eve? 
My  breath    thy  healthful  climate  in  the  heats. 
My  tr>uch  thy  antidote,  my  bay  thy  bath? 

Behol  1  the  Sea, 
The  opaline,  the  plentiful  and  strong, 
Vet  beautiful  as  is  the  rose  in  June ; 
Creating  a  sweet  climate  by  my  breath, 
Waih  ng  out  harms  and  griefs  from  memory 
And,  in  my  mathematic  ebb  and  flow, 
Giving  a  hint  of  that  which  changes  not. 
I  with  my  hammer,  pounding  evermore 
The  rocky  coast,  smite  Andes  into  dust, 
Strewing  my  bed,  and,  in  another  age. 
Rebuild  a  continent  of  better  men. 
Then  I  unbar  the  doors:    my  paths  lead  out 
The  exodus  of  nations;   I  disperse 
Men  to  all  shores  that  front  the  hoary  main. 

Emerson^ 


CHAPTER   I. 


hTMOnuVTION. 


On  the  surface,  foam  and  roar. 
Restless  b«tav*  Tifd  passionate  QaMh  ) 

Shingle  ratii«  along  the  snoic. 
Gathering  boom  anti  thundering  crash. 

♦  *  # 

Under  the  surface,  loveliest  fomis, 
Feathery  fronds  with  crimson  curl, 
Treasures  iaw  deep  for  the  raid  fit  stormft. 
Delicate  coral  ax:d  hiddei!  pearL 


|-2_^|i^..^ 


CHAPTER  I. 


INTRODUCTION. 


There  is  a  pleasure  in  the  pathless  woods, 

There  is  a  rapture  on  the  lonely  shore, 

There  is  society  where  none  intrudes, 

By  the  deep  sea,  and  music  in  its  roar. 

I  love  not  man  the  less,  but  nature  more, 

From  these  our  inteviews,  in  which  I  steal 

From  all  I  may  be,  or  have  been  before. 

To  mingle  with  the  universe,  and  feel 

What  I  can  ne'er  express,  yet  cannot  all  conceal. 


Byron, 


HO  does  not  love  the  sea  !  For  every  mood 
of  the  mind,  with  some  one  of  its  thousand 
voices  it  speaks  some  answering  tone.  Those  who 
dwell  within  the  sound  of  its  surf,  or  those  who 
habitually  seek  its  presence  for  inspiration  of  soul,  or 
for  rest  and  health  of  body,  learn  to  love  it  for  its  own 
sake  and  for  its  sweet  and  comforting  companionship. 
t  know  what  those  feel  who  are  content  to  sit   for  hours 


Library 
N.  C.  State  College 


2         .  SEA  MOSSES. 

beside  the  sounding  sea,  and  watch  the  incoming  and 
outgoing   tides,   as 

"The  nightmared  ocean  murmurs  and  yearns, 
Welters  and  swashes,  and  tosses  and  turns, 
And  the  dreary  black  seaweed  lolls  and  wags;  " 

or  listen  Hstless  to  the  beating  of  the  sleepless  waves. 
as   they   go   tumbling   among   the   rocks, 

"  With  sobs  in  tlie  rifts  where  the  coarse  kelp  shifts, 
Falling  and  lifting,  tossing  and  drifting, 
And  under  all  a  deep,  dull  roar. 
Dying  and  swelling  for  evermore;  " 

or  send  their  thoughts  wandering  around  the  world, 
cruising  on  every  shore,  with  that  white  sail  yonder 
which  just  now  slid  down  behind  the  edge  of  the  sky. 

Somehow,  one  cannot  look  upon  the  wide  blue  sea, 
and  listen  to  its  rythmic  beating,  without  feeling 
that  in  some  true  sense  he  is  looking  into  Nature's 
soul,  and  hearing  her  great  heart  beat.  For  true  it 
is,  the  mighty  voice  of  Old  Ocean  plays  a  low  melodious 
accompaniment  to  all  the  deepest  thoughts  that  stir  in 
the  human  heart,  and  makes  the  soul  feel  its  eternal 
kinship  with  all  the  great  forms  and  forces  of  the 
universe. 

But,  there  is  another  pleasure  which  "  this  great 
and  wide  sea "  can  give  us,  besides  that  which  she 
offers  to  our  fancy  and  our  dreams.  It  is  the  con- 
templation and  study  of  the  exquisitely  beautiful  flora 
which   she    nurtures    in   her  ample   waters.     When   \'oii 


INTRODUCrrON.  •  .1 

know  the  sea  and  its  flowers,  you  will  know  that  she 
has  almost  a  mother's  love  and  tenderness  for  them. 
It  may  seem  to  you  a  dumb,  rude,  bungling  sort  of 
affection,  perhaps,  for  you  will  notice  that  she  often 
leaves  some  delicate  and  charming  flowers,  far  up  on 
the  hot  sand  or  stones  of  the  beach,  all  careless  if 
they  live  or  die.  But  you  will  also  see  that  she  is  sure 
to  come  back  to  them  again  by  and  by.  But,  in  the 
sea,  where  they  live  and  grow,  they  have  her  constant 
offices  of  care  and  nurture.  These  most  fragile  fronded 
plants,  whose  silky  branches  are  as  fine  as  the  thinnest 
cobweb,  are  handled  and  tended  so  gently,  that  not  a 
fibre  is  broken  or  a  cell  misplaced  in  the  midst  of 
pounding  waves,  which,  with  a  single  blow  would  crush 
an  iron  ship  to  atoms.  The  boisterous  sea  is  their 
home,  and  though  it  may  seem  rough  and  rude  to 
us,  it   is   never  ungentle    to    them. 

If  you  come  to  know  these  plants,  the  beauty,  deli- 
cacy, and  grace  of  them,  and  their  names,  habits,  and 
history,  I  am  sure  the  sea  will  have  an  added  charm 
for  you.  From  every  shore  you  visit  you  will  carry 
away  your  hands  full  of  them.  x\nd  these  garlands,  in 
after  years,  will  not  only  minister  to  your  love  of  the 
beautiful,  but  they  will  also  recall  the  blessed  hours 
spent  by  the  sea,  and  repeat  in  your  heart  again  the 
joy  of  its  mighty  presence. 


4  SEA  iMOSSBS. 

In  this  little  book  I  shall  attempt  to  make  you 
acquainted  with  what  I  have,  these  many  years,  found 
to  be  as  interesting  as  they  are  beautiful.  I  undertake 
the  work  {:(?n  amore.  I  remember  how  much  I 
needed  some  convenient  and  competent  guide  when 
first  I  wanted  to  enter  this  field  of  knowledge  and 
delight,  and  asked  in  vain  for  it.  I  have  many  friends 
who  often  go  down  by  the  breezy  margin  of  Old 
Ocean.  With  this  book  I  want  to  make  them  ac- 
quinted  with  some  delightful  friends  of  mine  who  will 
be  there  before  them,  I  have  spent  many  hours  of 
rare  pleasure  in  collecting,  mounting,  and  studying, 
these  simpler  forms  of  Nature's  handiwork.  I  greatly 
desire  to  share  this  delight  with  the  multitude  of  in- 
telligent people  who  spend  weeks  and  months  by  the 
sea  side  yearly,  and  the  not  less  intelligent  multitude 
who   make  their  homes  within  sound  of  its  waves. 

The  work  is  written  for  beginners  only,  and  not 
for  advanced  students  and  specialists  in  this  department 
of  Cryptogamic  botany.  I  am  ambitious  for  my  book 
that  it  may  be  just  a  "  Porter "  to  stand  at  the  gate  of 
this  wondrous  garden  of  the  sea,  and  open  for  those 
who  come  and  knock.  There  was  no  such  book  to  do 
this  in  my  day,  so  I  had  to  "  climb  up  some  other 
v/ay."  There  were  indeed  the  three  ponderous  quartos 
of  Harvey,  and   two    or   three    little  manuals  of  English 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

Algae,  to  be  found  in  the  American  market.  But  neither 
served  the  needs,  at  once,  of  a  beginner,  and  of  a  sea  side 
rambler  upon  American  shores.  I  said  just  now,  "  for 
those  who  come  and  knock."  The '' Porter  "  opens  the 
door  only  to  such  in  any  garden  of  delight,  or  palace  of 
good.  There  must  be  interest  enough  to  lead  one  to 
ask  admittance.  If  you  want  to  go  in  and  see  what 
is  growing  in  this  strange  world  under  the  sea,  you 
have  only  to  come  and  knock,  and  heed  what  the 
"Porter"  says  to  you  at  the  gate,  and  you  may  go  in, 
and  wander  far  and  wide  amid  the  beauties  of  this 
charming  flora. 

To  begin  with,  then,  I  must  assume  that  you  are 
willing  to  put  a  litde  earnest  work  into  this  study. 
What  you  achieve  with  some  cost,  you  will  enjoy 
with  more  zest.  But  I  shall  attempt  so  to  present  the 
matter  as  to  call  for  the  least  possible  labor  in 
attaining  the  best  results.  The  descriptions  of  the 
plants,  will,  as  far  as  possible,  be  confined  to  those 
points  of  appearance  etc.  which  can  be  seen  with  the 
unaided  eye,  or  at  least  with  the  help  of  a  simple 
l^ocket  lens.  Especial  attention  will  be  given  to  point- 
ing out  the  particular  kind  of  place  where  each  plant 
naturally  grows,  and  the  season  of  the  year  when 
it  may  be  found  most  abundantly,  so  that  you  will 
be   able    to   search   intelligently   for   it,    and   be   all  the 


more  likely  to  know  it  when  you  see  it  for  the  first 
time.  In  making  descriptions  of  the  plants.  I  shall 
make  use  of  technical  terms  only  when  common 
terms  cannot  be  found  to  answer ;  or  when,  without 
the  technical  words,  I  should  have  to  make  circumlocu- 
tions which  would  be  burdensome  both  to  you  and 
to  me.  The  few  words  of  this  kind  which  I  shall  be 
obliged  to  use,  and  which  are  not  defined  in  the 
dictionary,  will  be  found  in  a  Glossary  at  the  end  of 
this   volume. 

I  am  aware  that  there  is  a  popular  prejudice 
against  the  use  of  any  other  than  the  common  names 
for  plants  and  animals.  People  think  it  is  an  affecta- 
tion of  learning,  a  very  silly  pedantry,  for  these 
naturalists  to  go  about  and  speak  of  the  birds  and 
flowers  and  ferns,  and  call  them  by  such  outlandish 
"jaw -breaking "  names,  as  they  do.  But  I  must 
bespeak  your  favor,  to  put  away  this  prejudice,  at  least 
in  respect  to  the  "Sea  Mosses."  If  you  study  these 
plants  at  all  scientifically,  you  will  be  obliged  to  learn 
their  scientific  names,  and,  for  the  best  of  all  reasons, 
because  almost  all  of  them  have  no  other.  A  few  like 
the  "Dulse,"  Rhodymenia  pabnata ;  "  Rockweed," 
Fucus  nodosus  and  F.  vesiculosiLS ;  "Irish  Moss," 
Chondrics  crispus  ;  and  "  Devil's  Aprons  "  or  "  Kelp  " 
Laminaria ;  have    common    or    popular    names.      Eut 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

the  people  who  have  Hved  by  the  sea,  have,  as  a 
genera]  thing,  cared  very  little  for  the  "Sea 
Weeds,"  and  have  deigned  to  give  names  to  but  a 
few  of  them.  So  it  has  been  left  to  the  botanist  to 
christen  them  from  his  Greek  and  Latin  vocabulary. 
For  each  plant  he  has  provided  two  names,  a  "sur- 
name," and  a  "given  name."  The  former  answers 
to  the  name  of  the  genus,  and  is  the  family  name ; 
and  the  latter  is  the  individual  name,  or  the  name 
of  the  species.  But  he  writes  it  with  the  generic  or 
family  name  first,  and  the  "  given  name "  last.  In 
his  usage  it  is  "Smith  John,"  not  "John  Smith,"  as 
in  common  parlance.  Thus  Rhodymenia  palmata 
and  R.  corallina,  may  be  considered  sisters,  the  first 
being  the  family  name,  and  the  last  two  the  "  given 
names "  by  which  they  are  known  in  the  family  circle. 
Do  not  be  discouraged  on  account  of  these  hard  look- 
ing names.  They  are  no  harder  to  remember,  or  to 
pronounce,  than  the  names  of  your  personal  friends, 
Mrs.  Eliza  Watson  Thompson  or  Mr.  George  Washing- 
ton Jones.  When  from  affectionate  interest  and  ac- 
quaintance, you  are  able  to  number  these  beautiful 
creations  of  Nature  among  your  friends,  you  will  find 
it  perhaps  easier  to  recall  their  names,  than  those  of 
your  more  fashionable  acquaintances.  For  you  will 
find   that   these   names   mean   something    as  a  personal 


8  SEA   MOSSES. 

description,  which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  most 
human  patronymics.  The  names  of  plants  are  mostly 
terms  descriptive  of  some  notable  fact  in  their  appear- 
ance, habit,  .  structure,  place  of  growth,  or  fruiting. 
The  significance  of  the  names  will,  as  far  as  possible' 
be  indicated  as  we  come  to  them. 

Before  passing  from  this  point,  I  must  not  forget 
to  say,  that  you  may  be  intelligently  interested  in 
these  charming  plants ;  be  an  admirer  of  their  brilliant 
and  varied .  colors,  their  graceful  outlines,  and  their 
slender  and  delicate  forms;  may,  perhaps,  be  an  en- 
thusiastic collector  of  them,  and  more  deeply  in  love 
with  them  than  many  "  marble  hearted  "  botanists  are, 
and  yet,  never  care  anything  at  all  about  a  scientific 
knowledge  of  them,  or  give  them  a  single  hour's  scien- 
tific study.  Scores  of  people  have  for  years  gathered 
these  "  flowers  of  the  sea,"  and  arranged  them  on 
cards,  and  mounted  them  in  books  and  albums,  who 
never  knew  them  other  than  as  "Sea  Mosses," 
and  never  cared  to.  You  may  do  the  same  if  you 
choose.  In  that  case  you  will  find  this  introductory 
chapter  all  the  guide  you  will  need.  If  you  have  not 
time  or  inclination  to  study  them,  do  not  neglect  them 
on  that  account.  To  the  taste  that  appreciates  the 
beautiful  in  form  or  color,  they  are  an  endless  source 
of   pleasure,   and    a  sure    means    of    cultivation.      The 


INTRODUCTION,  9 

plants  of  the  sea  greatly  surpass  all  others  in  the 
perfection  with  which  they  retain  their  original  beauty 
when  dried  and  preserved  in  the  herbarium.  Indeed, 
some  of  them  are  more  beautiful  so,  if  possible,  than 
when  seen  in  their  native  element.  Their  artistic  value 
will  not  be  impaired  by  any  lack  of  scientific  knowledge 
on  your  part.  And  yet  I  must  assure  you  that  a  more 
particular  acquaintance  with  them  will  abundantly 
repay  all  your  labor  by  giving  you  a  more  intelligent 
interest  in  them.  And  it  will  make  you  a  better  col- 
lector, even  for  the  mere  beauty's  sake,  to  know  the 
habits,  homes,  and  seasons  of  these  beautiful  creations. 

GEOGRAPHICAL    DISTRIBUTION. 

You  will  find  it  an  important  help,  in  many  cases, 
to  pay  attention  to  the  geographical  distribution  of 
the  species,  so  as  not  to  look  for  what  you  cannot 
find  in  given  localities,  and  to  search  only  for  what 
may   reasonably   be    expected    to    grow   there. 

Our  eastern  coast  is  distinguished  by  two  quite 
well  marked  floras.  That  long  reach  of  land  which 
projects  itself  so  far  into  the  sea,  known  as  Cape  Cod, 
marks  the  division  between  the  two.  It  is  probable 
that  in  former  times,  more  than  now  even,  that  has 
prevented  the  waters  of  the  great  arctic  and  equatorial 
currents    from    mingling,    and     so     has    maintained     a 


10  SEA  MOSSES. 

marked  difference  in  temperature,  in  the  two  regions. 
At  all  events  the  floras  of  the  t\vo  regions  have  im- 
portant differences,  whatever  the  cause.  I  do  not  mean 
by  this  that  no  considerable  number  of  species 
extend  over  the  whole  region,  north  and  south  of 
Cape  Cod.  But  I  mean  that  a  considerable  number, 
enough  to  make  a  distinct  feature  of  the  flora,  do 
not  extend  either  way  beyond  that  barrier.  To  state 
it  broadly,  we  may  say  that  the  plants  growing  north 
of  Cape  Cod  are  essentially  arctic,  and  agree  pretty 
well  with  the  species  found  on  the  extreme  northern 
coasts  of  Europe,  and  in  Spitsbergen  and  Nova  Zembla. 
In  a  small  collection  of  some  twenty  species  received 
from  these  polar  islands,  I  find  all  but  one  or  two  of 
them  such  as  I  have  collected  at  Marblehead.  The 
individual  plants,  too,  have  a  striking  resemblance  to 
those  growing  along  our  northern  shores.  The  north- 
ern flora  is  distinguished  by  an  abundance  of  plants  of 
the  species  Euthora  crismta,  Ptilota  plumosa,  Var. 
serrata."  Ceramiiun  Deslongchampsii,  Gigarthia  mam- 
il/osa^  Halosaccion  7-ame7itaceum,  Fucus  f ureal  us, 
Aganim  Turneri,  Laminaria  longicruris,  Alaria 
esculenta,  etc. 

The  flora  south  of  Cape  Cod  is  that  of  the  warmer 
or  temperate  seas,  and  is  distinguished  by  the  presence 
of  such  forms  as  the  "  Gulf  weed/'  Sargassum  vulgarc, 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

Dasya  eiegans,  the  several  species  of  the  Chondriopsis, 
the  Grinnellia  Americajia,  Rhabdonia  tenera,  Hypnea 
muscifor?fiis,  Champia  parvicla,  Lomentaria  Bai- 
leyana,  Spyridia  filainentosa,  Collitha7nnion  Baileyi 
and  many  others.  I  suppose,  perhaps,  that  from  one 
quarter  to  one-third  of  the  species  of  each  region  do 
not  extend  into  the  other,  or,  if  they  do  at  all,  then 
as  rarities.  I  will  note  the  geographical  range  of 
each  species  as  I  describe  it.  There  seem  to  be 
no  such  differences  in  the  flora  of  different  parts  of 
California.  It  is  likely  that  nearly  all  the  plants  that 
could  be  found  at  San  Francisco  or  Santa  Cruz,  could 
also  be  found  at  San  Diego  and  Santa  Barbara,  a  few 
rarities  only  excepted.  It  will  be  observed  that  this 
book  undertakes  to  give  an  account  only  of  the  marine 
flora  of  California  on  the  west  coast,  and  of  New  York 
and  New  England  on  the  east;  though,  it  may  be 
added,  that  this  will  make  it  practically  applicable  to 
all  the  coast  north  of  the  Carolinas  on  the  one  side, 
and  to  Vancouver  Island  on  the  other.  I  may  also 
add  that  I  have  included  only  common  plants,  such 
as  the  beginner  would  be  certain  to  meet  with  in  his  sea 
side  excursions;  and  I  believe  I  have  included  nearly 
all  of  these  on  our  eastern  shores.  I  cannot  say  as 
much  for  the  California  flora.  I  have  selected  for 
special  mention  only  some  sixty  or  seventy  species  peculiar 


12  ^^.4  MOSSES. 

to  that  region,  which  is  much  riclier  in  species  than 
our  own.  But  I  have  taken  those  plants  which  1 
judged  to  be  the  most  common  and  characteristic, 
and  most  widely  distributed,  and  such  as  I  knew  to 
be  most  strikingly  beautiful  or  interesting.  In  respect 
to  particular  places,  there  are  many  of  them  on  our 
eastern  coast  where  the  flora  is  rich  and  fine,  and 
where  thousands  of  people  are  in  the  habit  of.  going 
every  year.  Nothing  could  be  more  favorable  as 
places  for  finding  and  collecting  splendid  "Sea  Mosses  " 
in  great  numbers  and  many  varieties  than  such 
localities  as  Mount  Desert,  the  Maine  and  New  Hamp- 
shire beachesj  Isles  of  Shoals,  Cape  Ann  from  Annis- 
squam  clear  around  to  Magnolia,  Marblehead,  Nahant, 
Nantasket,  Newport,  Martha's  Vineyard,  and  Wood's 
Holl,  Orient  Point,  and  the  shore  at  Coney  Island,  and 
southward  as  far  as  Fort  Hamilton. 

CLASSIFICATION. 

Algae  are  classified  by  botanists  on  the  basis  of 
their  method  of  reproduction.  In  a  popular  work  of 
this  kind  I  have  not  thought  it  desirable  to  enter  into 
the  details  of  this  matter,  because  these  organs  can 
be  studied  only  by  the  aid  of  a  microscope ;  and, 
as  I  have  said,  I  am  writing  for  those  who  do  not  use 
that   instrument,  and   I  hope  to  be  able  to  so  describe 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

the  plants  that  most  of  them  may  be  identified  without 
its   aid. 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  whole  class  naturally 
divides  itself  into  three  main  groups,  characterized  in  a 
general  way  by  their  color,  viz. :  Red,  Olive  Green,  and 
Bright  Green.  These  three  groups  correspond  very 
nearly  to  their  more  exact  classification  on  the  basis 
named  above.  The  lowest  and  simplest  in  their  organ- 
ization, are  the  bright  or  grass  green  Algs,  for  example, 
the  Ulva;  next  the  olive  green,  the  "  Rockweed " 
and  ^a<:elp";  the  highest,  the  red  AlgcX.  I  shall 
take  up  each  of  these  groups  separately,  and  describe 
the  several  genera  and  species,  in  their  natural  order, 
following  the  arrangement  adopted  by  Dr.  Farlow, 
from  Prof.  Thuret,  in  his  list  of  North  American  Algae. 

TIMES    AND   PLACES    FOR    COLLECTING. 

Most  collecting  on  our  Atlantic  coast,  will  be  done 
during  the  summer  and  early  autumn  months.  But 
I  must  remind  those  of  you  who  live  by  the  sea,  or 
have  it  accessible  at  all  times,  that  many  things  of 
the  greatest  interest  and  beauty  will  be  missed  if 
you  do  not  go  to  the  shore  early.  Our  finest  Calli- 
thamnion,  C.  A??iencajiti7n  can  be  had  in  its  rarest 
beauty  early  in  March  and  even  in  February.  The 
finest  varieties    of    our    Rhodomela   subfusca   are   only 


14  SEA  MOSSES. 

to  be  found  in  the  early  spring  months.  This  is 
true  of  many  other  plants.  You  will  be  surprised, 
also,  to  see  what  quantities  of  things  you  can  find  as 
late  as  November  and  December.  Indeed,  if  you  are 
to  know  these  plants  thoroughly,  you  must  collect 
Ihem  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  Then  you  will  know 
when  they  come,  and  when  they  go,  and  when  Ihcy 
are  in  their  greatest  perfection.  Those  living  and  col- 
lecting on  the  Pacific  coast  are  not  fenced  away  by 
an  icy  wall,  as  we  are  on  our  shores  during  two  or 
three  months  of  our  hard,  inclement  winters.  So 
they  can  collect  the  year  around.  Dr.  Anderson 
assures  me  that  most  of  the  plants  growing  there 
may  be  found  at  all  seasons,  though  of  course  most  of 
them  are  more  beautiful  and  of  more  luxuriant  growth 
during  the  summer  than  during  the  winter  months. 
In  general,  there  are  three  princijoal  places  for  col- 
lecting ''Sea  Mosses"  by  the  shore. 

First,  from  the  mass  of  material  which  the  sea 
throws  up  upon  the  beaches,  and  leaves  behind  it 
when  the  tide  goes  out.  This  will  be  your  main  re- 
source for  getting  the  plants  that  grow  in  deep  water. 
By  many  causes  they  will  be  loosened  from  their 
holdings  in  the  depths,  and  will  then  float  up  to  the 
surface  and  margin  of  the  sea,  and  will  be  cast  on  shore. 
By   carefully  turning  over  these   masses,  which  will   be 


INTRODUCTION,  15 

found  along  almost  every  sandy  or  pebbly  beach,  you 
will  be  able  to  get  plants  which  could  otherwise  be 
found  only  by  dredging  in  the  deep  water.  And  by 
careful  search,  too,  among  this  material,  you  will  find 
all  the  deep  water  forms. 

Second,  upon  the  rocks  and  in  the  tide  pools 
when  the  tide  is  out.  You  can  collect  living  plants  in 
their  native  homes  here  only.  Of  course  no  Algae 
grow  upon  the  sandy  beaches.  You  must,  therefore, 
seek  all  such  as  grow  between  the  tide  marks, 
upon  rocky  shores.  Put  on  a  pair  of  stout  rubber 
boots,  and  go  two  or  three  hours  before  low  tide 
and  search  in  every  place,  following  the  tide  down 
to  its  farthest  retreat.  Many  of  the  best  things 
are  found  close  down  by  low  water  mark,  and  some 
a  little  below  that.  These  latter  can  be  got  best 
by  taking  advantage  of  the  extreme  low  run  of  tides 
which  comes  about  "new"  and  "full  moon."  The  ad- 
vantage of  going  before  low  tide,  and  following  the 
retreating  waters  down,  is  that  you  are  not  so  apt 
to  get  a  drenching  by  the  unexpected  advance  of  a 
great  wave,  as  when  the  tide  is  coming  in.  For,  if 
you  are  close  by  the  water's  edge  when  the  tide  is 
rising,  busily  intent  upon  getting  your  floral  treasures, 
you  will  very  likely  find  yourself  suddenly  soaked 
with  brine,  for 


"  The  breaking  waves  dash  high 
On  a  stern  and  rock-bound  coast." 

In  hunting  through  the  tidal  region  for  plants, 
hunt  everywhere,  and  collect  everything  found  grow- 
ing, and  when  collected,  like  Captain  Cuttle,  "make 
a  note  of  it."  If  you  cannot  remember  without,  carry 
a  small  memorandum  book  and  enter  in  it  the 
habitat  of  each  particular  kind  as  you  collect  it. 
The  tide  pools,  that  is,  the  little  basins  in  the  rocks 
out  of  which  the  water  is  never  emptied,  are 
the  places  where  the  choicest  collecting  may  be  had. 
And  the  nearer  they  are  to  the  low  tide  limits,  the 
more  likely  they  will  be  to  have  abundance  of  vege- 
table hfe  in  them.  But  do  not  fail  to  look,  also, 
under  the  overhanging  curtain  of  "  Rockweed  "  which 
shadows  the  perpendicular  sides  of  the  cliffs  and 
great  boulders.  You  will  often  find  some  beautiful 
plants  there,  as  for  instance,  the  Ptilota  elegans, 
the  CladopJwra  rupestris  and  other  smaller  ''  mosses." 

Third,  by  standing  on  some  low  projecting  reef, 
by  the  side  of  which  the  tide  currents  rush  in  and 
out,  you  will  see  many  of  the  more  dehcate  deep 
water  forms,  all  spread  out  beautifully,  and  displayed 
in  all  their  native  grace,  carried  past,  back  and 
forth  in  the  water.  Many  of  these,  like  the  Poly- 
siphoftid',   are    seldom   thrown  on   shore  in   good   con- 


tNTRODUCTIOisr,  Yl 

dition,  or  if  they  are,  do  not  long  remain  so.  This 
therefore  is  by  far  the  best  place  to  take  many  of 
these  plants.  To  do  this  you  must  be  provided 
with  some  simple  instrument  for  reaching  down  into 
the  water,  and  seize  them  as  they  go  floating  by. 
I  have  found  nothing  more  convenient  for  this  than 
a  wire  skimmer,  which  can  be  got  at  any  house- 
furnishing  tin  shop,  tied  with  a  stout  string  to  a 
light  strong  stick  five  or  six  feet  long.  The  water 
passes  through  the  meshes  of  this  with  little  resist- 
ance, but  the  Alga,  with  its  delicate  branches  thrown 
out  widely  in  every  direction,  is  very  readily  caught 
by  it.  It  will  also  serve  to  a  limited  extent  as  an 
implement  for  detaching  plants  from  their  holdings, 
which  grow  in  deep  tide  pools,  or  in  the  sea,  not 
too  far  below  low  water  mark.     For  the  rest  of  your 

COLLECTING  APPAR.4TUS 

you  may  have  as  httle  or  as  much  as  is  convenient. 
A  simple  basket,  or  box,  with  a  few  newspapers  in 
i'.,  to  wrap  up  and  keep  somewhat  separate  the 
different  sorts  of  your  collectings,  will  do  very  well. 
If  it  is  convenient,  have  a  case  made  with  a  half 
dozen  or  less  wide-mouthed  bottles  set  in  it,  each 
provided  with  a  cork.  The  case  should  also  have 
a  compartment  for  storing  coarse  plants,  newspapers, 
paper    bags,    or    whatever   you    may   use    for    keeping 


1^  SEA   MOSSES. 

different  species,  or  the  plants  from  different  locali- 
ties, separate.  Then,  as  your  plants  are  collected, 
they  may  be  roughly  sorted,  and  put  in  different 
bottles.  But  two  or  tliree  bottles  should  be  reserved 
for  the  most  delicate  and  fragile  forms.  And  as  there 
are  several  of  them  which  rapidly  perish  on  being 
exposed  to  the  air,  the  botdes  should  be  kept  partly 
full  of  sea  water.  The  more  delicate  Polysiphonias^ 
the  Caiithafrmiofis,  Dasyas,  and  some  others  will  need 
this  protection.  I  have  found  a  quart  fruit  jar  very 
handy.  I  get  the  kind  that  I  can  fasten  a  string 
around  the  neck,  so  as  to  carry  it  suspended  in 
one  hand,  which  leaves  the  other  always  free  to 
gather  in  the  plants  with.  A  jar  whose  cover  goes  on 
and  off  with  the  least  possible  trouble,  is  the  one  to 
be  selected.  The  only  disadvantage  in  using  a 
receptacle  of  this  sort  for  your  collection,  is  that 
in  climbing  over  the  wet  and  mossy  rocks,  your  feet 
may  chance  to  slip  and  you  get  a  tumble ;  then  in 
your  efforts  to  save  yourself,  you  will  forget  all  about 
your  fragile  glass  jar,  and  will  smash  it  into  a  thou- 
sand pieces  upon  the  hard  stones,  and  perhaps  lose 
your  whole  collection.  But  two  or  three  of  these  jars, 
carefully  packed  in  a  basket,  so  as  not  to  be  easily 
broken,  would  perhaps  furnish  as  handy  a  collecting 
apparatus  as  you  could  extemporize  at  the  sea  shore. 


tl^TnODUCTIOM.  1ft 

MOUNTING   AND    PRESERVING. 

For  ''floating  out "  your  "Sea  Mosses,"  as  it  is  called, 
you  should  provide  yourself  a  few  simple  tools  and  re- 
quisites. You  should  have  a  pair  of  pliers ;  a  pair  of 
scissors;  a  stick  like  a  common  cedar  "pen  stalk,"  with 
a  needle  driven  into  the  end  of  it,  or,  in  lack  of  that, 
any  stick  sharpened  carefully;  two  or  three  large 
white  dishes,  like  "wash  bowls;"  botanist's  "drying 
paper;"  or  common  blotting  paper;  pieces  of  cotton 
cloth,  old  cotton  is  the  best;  and  the  necessary 
cards    or   paper   for   mounting    the   plants   on. 

You  will  use  the  pliers  in  handling  your  plants 
in  the  water.  The  scissors  you  will  need  for  trimming 
off  the  superfluous  branches  of  plants  which  are  too 
bushy  to  look  well  when  spread  upon  the  paper, 
and  to  cut  away  parasites.  The  needle  should  be 
driven  point  first,  a  considerable  distance  into  the 
stick,  so  as  to  make  it  firm,  and  allow  you  to  use 
the  blunt  end  of  it  in  arranging  the  finer  details  of 
your  plant  on  the  paper.  For  drying  paper,  of  course 
you  can  use  common  newspaper,  by  putting  many 
thicknesses  together;  and  a  great  many,  no  doubt, 
will  do  that.  But  sheets  of  blotdng  paper  will  be 
found  much  more  satisfactory ;  twenty-five  of  them 
cut   into    quarters     would    probably    be   all   you    would 


20  SEA  MOSSES. 

use,  and  those  you  could  easily  take  with  you  in 
your  trunk.  What  will  be  found  cheaper  and  still 
more  serviceable,  if  you  are  going  to  mount  a  large 
number  of  plants  at  once,  is  a  quantity  of  botanist's 
"  drying  paper."  It  can  be  had  of  the  "  Naturalist 
Agency,"  32  Hawley  Street,  Boston,  Mass.,  for,  I 
believe,  ^1.25  per  100  sheets,  probably  also  of  other 
sellers  of  naturalists'  supplies  in  all  the  large  cities, 
on  both  sides  of  the  Continent.  It  is  a  coarse, 
spongy,  brown  felt  paper,  cut  into  sheets,  12  x  18 
inches,  and  has  a  fine  capacity  for  absorbing  mois- 
ture. For  convenience,  the  cotton  cloths  should  be 
made  the  same  size  as  the  drying  paper  used. 
Some  collectors,  who  do  not  care  to  mount  a  great 
number  of  specimens  at  once,  but  want  to  have 
them  very  smooth  and  fine  when  dry,  use  no 
drying  paper  at  all,  biit  in  the  place  of  it,  have 
thin  smooth  pieces  of  deal,  got  out  a  foot  or  so  square 
and  one-quarter  or  one-third  of  an  inch  thick;  upon 
these  they  spread  one  or  more  layers  of  cotton  and 
lay  the  plant  on  them  and  put  as  many  more  ovei 
it ;  the  cotton  absorbs  the  moisture,  and  the  boards 
keep  the  pressure  even  and  the  papers  and  plants 
straight  and  smooth  throughout.  For  ''mounting  paper  " 
each  one  must  use  his  own  taste.  Many  prefer  cards 
cut   of  uniform  size  :    they   can    be  had    at  almost   any 


iNTRODUCTlOM.  21 

paper  store,  or  job  printing  office,  made 'to  order.  Four 
and  a  half  by  six  and  a  half  inches,  is  a  neat  and 
convenient  size.  But  if  you  want  to  mount  several 
hundred  or  several  thousand  specimens  in  the  course 
of  a  season,  so  as  to  have  some  to  give  to  all  your 
friends,  and  to  make  up  a  number  of  books  or 
albums  to  sell  at  Church  or  Charity  fairs,  then  per- 
haps the  expense  will  be  an  item  worth  considering. 
In  that  case  you  will  find  it  cheaper  to  buy  a  few 
quires  of  good  26  or  28  lb.  demy  paper,  unruled,  of 
course.  This  paper  is  in  unfolded  sheets,  16  x  21  •* 
inches,  and  will  cut  into  convenient  sizes  for  mount- 
ing any  plants  ordinarily  collected.  By  halving  it 
you  have  sheets  8x  21,  or  lolx  16  inches.  By 
quartering,  Ae  sheets  are  8  x  10^  inches;  halving 
these  you  get  an  octavo  sheet  5^  x  8  inches, 
which  is  quite  large  enough  for  the  great  ma- 
jority of  plants.  One  half  of  this  will  give  a  sheet 
4  X  5  1  inches,  which  will  be  the  size  most  used ;  while 
the  smallest  plants  look  best  on  the  half  of  these 
sheets,  2  ?,  x   4  inches. 

With  your  large  white  dishes  filled  near  to  the 
brim  with  sea-water,  or,  if  you  are  away  from  the 
ocean,  with  water  made  artificially  salt,  take  a  few 
of  your  plants  from  the  collecting  case  and  put 
them    in    one    of    the    dishes.      Here,    handling    them 


2^  SMA  Mosses. 

with  your  pliers,  shake  them  out  and  ^lean  their 
of  any  adhering  sand  or  shells,  trim  away  parasites 
and  superfluous  branches,  and  generally  make  them 
ready  for  "floating  out."  Thence  transfer  them,  one 
at  a  time,  as  you  "float  them,"  to  the  other  dish. 
Then  take  your  card,  or  your  paper,  selecting  a 
piece  large  enough  to  give  the  plant  ample  room, 
and  leave  a  margin  of  white  all  around  and  having 
dipped  it  in  the  water,  put  it  quite  under  the 
floating  plant,  holding  the  paper  with  your  left  hand 
and  managing  the  plant  with  the  right.  Now  float 
the  plant  out  over  the  paper,  and  draw  the  root  or 
base  of  it  up  near  to  the  end  of  the  paper  next 
your  hand,  so  that  you  can  hold  it  down  on  the 
paper  with  the  thumb  of  your  left  hand,  the  rest  of 
that  hand  being  under  the  paper  in  the  water. 
Now  slowly  lift  the  paper  up  to  the  surface  and 
draw  it  out  of  the  water,  in  such  a  way  that  the 
water  will  flow  off  from  it  in  two  or  three  directions. 
This  will  spread  the  plant  out  somewhat  evenly  over 
the  paper.  But  in  many  cases  you  will  need  tc 
arrange  the  branches  in  their  most  natural  and  grace- 
ful position  and  also  take  care  that  they  do  not  get 
massed  upon  each  other,  and  make  unsightly  heaps, 
while  other  places  are  left  bare.  They  should  be 
carefully  arranged   so   as   to   make   the   most    beautiful 


introduction:  23 

picture  possible.  In  some  fine  and  delicate  plants, 
too  much  care  cannot  be  bestowed  in  having  the 
remote  branchlets  all  naturally  disposed  and  spread 
out.  This  final  work  of  arranging  details  you  will 
do  with  your  needle  while  you  hold  the  paper  very 
near  to  the  surface  of  the  water  with  your  left  hand, 
so  near,  indeed,  that  there  will  be  just  water  enough 
and  no  more,  above  it,  to  tioat  tne  delicate  parts 
which  you  are  manipulating.  Oftentimes  it  will  be 
found  convenient,  after  the  paper  with  the  plant  on 
it  has  been  removed  from  the  water,  to  re-immerse 
a  part  of  it  at  a  time,  and  re-arrange  the  several  parts 
separately.  But  all  this  can  easily  be  done,  more 
easily  than  I  can  tell  how  to  do  it.  A  very  little 
practice  will  give  you  the  "  knack "  perfectly.  And, 
indeed,  these  plants  are  by  no  means  refractory,  or 
hard  to  manage.  They  will  do  anything  you  can 
reasonably  want  them  to,  while  you  humor  them  by 
keeping  them  in  their  native  element.  In  fact,  you 
will  commonly  need  to  do  no  more  with  them  than 
to  just  help  them  do  what  they  are  altogether  willing 
and  disposed  to  do  themselves.  For  if  you  will  let 
them  take  on  your  paper  the  form  and  outHne, 
which  they  have  by  nature  in  the  water,  there  will 
be  nothing  left  to  desire,  for  their  color,  form,  and 
movement,  all  combine  there  to  make  them  the  loveliest 


24  SEA  MOSSES. 

and  most  graceful  things  that  grow.  When  you  have 
put  the  last  finishing  touches  upon  the  "floating" 
process,  and  your  "  Sea  Moss  "  is  adjusted  upon  your 
paper  so  as  to  be  "a  thing  of  beauty,  and  a  joy 
forever;"  then  you  want  to  lay  the  paper  upon  some 
inclined  surface,  any  smooth  board  will  do,  to  drain 
away  the  superfluous  water.  Thence  it  is  to  be  trans- 
ferred, in  a  few  moments,  to  the  press   for  drying. 

This  is  made  in  the  following  manner.  Laying 
down  one  of  the  above  described  sheets  of  blotting 
paper,  botanist's  "  drying  paper,"  or  boards  of  muslin- 
covered  deal,  you  lay  your  paper  with  the  plant  on 
it  upon  this,  the  plant  up.  Cover  the  board  or  drying 
paper  all  over  with  "  floated  "  specimens  in  the  same 
way.  Over  all,  and  lying  directly  upon  the  plants, 
spread  your  piece  of  muslin.  Upon  this,  put  another 
sheet  of  the  paper,  or  board,  and  upon  this  again, 
a  layer  of  plants,  then  a  piece  of  the  muslin,  more 
paper,  plants,  muslin,  and  so  on  till  you  have  disposed 
of  all  of  your  collection,  or  so  much,  of  it  as  you  care 
to  mount.  Upon  the  last  layer  of  plants  i)ut  a  final 
sheet  of  paper,  and  over  all  a  stout  board  as  large 
as  the  drying  paper.  Upon  this  lay  some  heavy 
weights  —  stones  will  be  as  handy  as  anything  at  the 
sea-side.  I  should  put  on,  I  think,  about  fifty  pounds 
of    them,   if    I    were     using     botanist's    drying     paper, 


Library 
N,  C.  State   College 


INTRODUCTION.  25 

which  has  a  good  deal  of  "  give  "  in  it.  With  the 
use  of  boards  unless  there  are  a  good  many  thicknesses 
of  muslin,  it  would  not  do  to  weight  it  so  heavily, 
or  some  of  the  plants  would  be  crushed*  beyond 
recognition.  I  use  the  drying  paper,  and  always 
have  two  boards,  one  for  the  bottom,  and  one  for  the 
top  of  my  press.  Then,  when  I  '^  have  made  the  pile 
complete,"  I  can  put  it  aside  in  some  convenient 
comer  out  of  the  way,  and  set  the  stones  to  work, 
bearing  down  on  it,  a  business  for  which  they  seem 
to  have  some  conspicuous  and  weighty  gifts. 

Some  botanists  recommend  that  the  drying  papers 
be  changed  in  the  course  of  five  or  six  hours,  and 
the  cloths  and  papers  again  in  twenty-four  hours. 
This  will,  perhaps,  be  best,  if  one  has  plenty  of  time. 
But  my  practice  has  always  been  to  let  them  lie  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  then  give  them  a  change  of  both 
cloths  and  papers,  being  careful  in  removing  the 
cloths,  so  as  not  to  lift  the  plants  from  the  mounting 
paper. 

The  second  time  in  the  press  they  should  be 
subject  to  a  harder  pressure,  seventy-five  '  or  one 
hundred  pounds  of  stone  being  not  too  much.  In 
twenty-four  hours  more  most  of  them  will  be  quite 
dry,  and  ready  to  be  put  into  your  herbarium,  album, 
or  whatever  you   use  for  the  final  disposition  of  them. 


26  SEA  MOSSES. 

Those  that  are  not  perfectly  dry  should  be  put  back 
in  the  press  with  dry  papers  and  cloths  for  another 
day's   stay. 

When  the  plant  is  perfectly  dry,  and  removed 
from  the  press,  you  should,  before  putting  it  away  and 
forgetting  these  facts,  write  on  the  back  of  the  paper 
the   exact   date   and   place   of    collecting. 

People  often  ask  me  what  I  use  to  make  the  plants 
stick  so  firmly  to  the  paper,  supposing,  evidently  that 
it  is  necessary  to  have  some  kind  of  gum  or  mucilage 
for  that  purpose.  I  have  to  answer  that  I  have  for 
most  of  them  to  use  nothing  whatever ;  that  there  is 
sufficient  gelatinous  matter  in  the  body  of  the  plant  to 
make  it  perfectly  adhere  to  the  paper  without  other 
aid.  And  the  reason  for  putting  the  muslin  over  the 
plants  in  the  process  of  pressing  and  drying,  is  that 
they  may  not  stick  to  the  drying  paper  which  is  laid 
above  them,  the  muslin  not  adhering  to  the  plants  ai 
all,  except  in  some  few  cases. 

But  a  considerable  number  of  the  ''Sea  Mosses 
do  not  adhere  to  paper  well.  They  either  have  not 
gelatinous  matter  enough  in  them,  or  will  not  give 
it  out  to  glue  their  bodies  to  the  paper.  Various 
devices  are  resorted  to  in  these  cases.  Sometimes 
the  plant,after  being  dried  in  the  press  in  the  usual  way, 
is   simply  strapped   down  with   slips  of  gummed  paper 


INTRODUCTION.  27 

Sometimes  they  are  fastened  down  with  some  kind  of 
adhesive  substance,  after  being  dried,  gum  tragacanth 
being  the  best  for  this.  Others  take  them  and  float 
them  out  a  second  time  in  skimmed  milk,  and  after 
wiping  off  the  milk  from  the  paper  and  plants,  except 
directly  under  the  plants,  put  them  in  the  press  to  dry 
again,  when,  it  is  said,  they  stay.  I  have  never  tried 
this  method.  A  friend  of  mine,  who  is  famous  for  the 
artistic  way  in  which  she  always  "  lays  out "  her  "  Sea 
Mosses,"  tells  me  that  for  these  forms  which  lack  what 
the  Phrenologist  might  call  "  Adhesiveness,"  she  prepares 
from  the  "  Irish  Moss,"  Chondrus  crispus,  a  semi- 
fluid paste,  into  which  she  dips  them  before  putting 
them  on  paper,  and  then  carefully  removes  all  of  it 
from  the  paper  and  plant,  except  what  is  between  the 
two,  and  then  puts  them  in  the  press.  By  this  means, 
they  are  made  to  stick,  "  like  the  paper  upon  the 
wall." 

In  preparing  the  coarser  "  Rockweed  "  and  "Kelp" 
for  the  herbarium,  another  method  will  have  to  be 
pursued.  These  will  almost  all  turn  very  dark,  or 
quite  black,  in  the  process  of  drying.  I  am  accus- 
tomed to  treat  them  according  to  the  following 
method :  Taking  them  home,  I  spread  them  out 
in  some  shaded  place  and  let  them  lie  for  a  few 
hours,     perhaps     twenty-four,     perhaps    less    or    more. 


28  SEA   MOSSES. 

until  most  of  the  water  in  them  has  evaporated, 
but  not  till  they  have  become  hard,  stiff  and  brittle. 
Then  I  put  them  between  sheets  of  drying  paper 
and  lay  them  in  the  press,  and  keep  them  there 
until  the  process  of  drying  is  complete.  A  little 
practice  will  be  the  only  way  by  which  you  will 
learn  how  to  tell  if  they  have  been  dried  long 
enough  in  the  open  air.  If  you  find  them  inclined 
to  mould  while  kept  in  the  press,  you  may  be  sure 
they  are  not  dry  enough ;  throw  them  away  and  get 
some   new   ones. 

It  is  sometimes  desirable  to  keep  the  treasures 
we  have  gathered  from  the  sea  unmounted,  that  we 
may  carry  them  away  to  await  a  more  convenient 
season  for  floating  them  out,  or  that  we  may  send 
them  to  some  friend  or  correspondent  on  the  other 
side  of  the  continent  or  beyond  the  seas.  It  is, 
therefore,  fortunate  that  all  but  the  more  delicate 
and  perishable  of  these  plants  may  be  dried  rough ; 
rolled  up,  and  kept  any  length  of  time ;  transported 
round  the  world ;  and  then,  when  put  in  water 
again,  will  come  out  in  half  an  hour,  as  fresh  and 
bright  and  supple  and  graceful  as  they  were  when 
taken  from  their  briny  home.  The  friend  just 
now  referred  to  assures  me  that  even  the  Callithavi- 
fiia,  DasycB,   and   the   most   delicate   Poly sipho nice,  and 


INTRODUCTION.  29 

such  like  plants,  may  be  so  treated,  by  first  shaking 
the  water  out  of  them  and  then  thoroughly  mingling 
them  with  dry  sea  sand,  and  drying  them  rough  i]i  the 
usual  way.  She  says  the  sand  will  adhere  to  the 
most  delicate  fibres  and  ramuli  of  the  plant  in  such 
a  way  as  to  keep  them  separate  and  prevent  their 
getting  glued  together.  Then  when  they  are  after- 
wards soaked  out,  the  sand  will  be  disengaged  and 
the  plant  left  as  good  as  ever  it  was.  Perhaps  I 
ought  to  suggest  that  "  soaking  out "  should  always 
be  done  with  salt  water,  unless  you  know  you 
have  only  those  plants  that  fresh  water  will  not  hurt. 
When  I  have  had  specimens  of  the  "  Rockwecd "  or 
'•'Kelp"  sent  me  "rough  dried,"  I  have  found  it 
best  to  prepare  them  for  mounting,  not  by  immers- 
ing them  in  water,  and  so  getting  a  great  quantity 
of  moisture  into  them,  which  would  have  to  be  ex- 
pelled afterwards  with  no  little  trouble,  but  by  wrap- 
ping them  about  with  wet  towels ;  from  these  they 
would  imbibe  enough  dampness  to  be  manageable, 
but   not  enough   to    make    them   troublesome. 

Before  taking  leave  of  this  part  of  my  subject,  I 
must  permit  myself  to  add  a  word  in  regard  to  a 
point  which  botanists  commonly  think  too  little  about, 
viz :  the  display  of  taste  in  the  mounting  of  their 
plants.      To   the  mere   botanist    a  plant  is  a  specimen 


30  SEA  MOSSES. 

of  a  given  genus  and  species,  interesting  wholly  ror 
that  fact.  If  it  is  a  full  gro\^Ti  typical  form  with 
fruit,  all  the  better.  Now  all  are  not  botanists. 
Most  of  those  who  will  read  these  pages  will  have 
an  interest  in  these  plants  to  which  the  scientific 
interest  will  be  secondary.  I  want  to  say  then  to 
them :  look  for  the  best  things,  get  the  whole 
plant  when  you  can,  but  get  and  preserve  the 
most  perfect  and  beautiful  plants.  It  is  the  rule 
with  the  botanist  to  put  but  one  species  on  each 
paper  or  card;  I  certainly  advise  disregarding  this  rule, 
unless  you  are  mounting  for  scientific  purposes  altogether 
or  chiefly.  With  the  numberless  shades  of  red  which 
one  group  of  ''Sea  Mosses"  will  give  you,  with  the 
various  kinds  of  green  which  the  other  two  will 
present,  you  will  have  opportunity  to  display  all  the 
taste  and  skill  you  are  master  of  For  in  combining 
several  different  colors  and  forms  on  the  same 
paper,  you  may  often  produce  the  most  brilliant 
results.  A  little  practice  will  soon  make  you  able  to 
handle  two  or  three  plants  at  the  same  time  in 
"  floating  them  out,"  almost  as  readily  as  you  man- 
age one.  Then  again,  you  wiU  soon  find  it  possible 
with  some  of  the  more  slender  plants  to  work  out 
interesting  and  beautiful  ''  designs "  in  the  same  way. 
Initial    letters,   even  monograms,   may   not    be   beyond 


tiSTTR  Ob  UCTION.  i  1 

your  reach  with  a  httle  care  and  practice.  Let  the 
"Sea  Mosses"  contribute  to  the  cultivation  of  every 
faculty,  and  all  possible  means  of  pleasure  for  you. 

Foi    preserving  your   treasures  after   they   are  neatly 
mounted,   pressed    and     dried,    you    have    two    courses 
open    to   you.      You    can    take    care    of    them    as    the 
botanist   does,  by   arranging    them    systematically   in    a 
herbarium,    with   covers    of  stout    Manilla   paper   folded 
lo?,    X    1 6?,   inches     for   each    genus,    and     the    species 
separated   by   white    sheets    or   thinner   covers;    or    you 
can   provide  yourself  with   blank   books,  made    for   the 
purpose,    having    the     leaves    cut    to    fit    the    sizes    of 
paper   or   card  which   you    mount    your   plants    on,    so 
as    to   shp    the    corners    of    the    cards    into    the    cuts. 
It     is    well     in     that    case    to    provide    a    book    with 
leaves   large    enough   to   hold   two    or   four   cards  each. 
By     following     the     directions     here     given,    I    cannot 
doubt    you    will    soon    become   a   successful    collector, 
and    an     expert    in    mounting     and    preserving     ''Sea 
Mosses." 

METHODS   OF   STUDY. 

Having  now  the  book  as  you  go  to  the  sea  shore, 
the  question  you  are  most  likely  to  ask  is :  "  How 
shall  I  use  it,  so  as  to  make  it  a  true  and  helpful 
guide  in  learning  about  these  plants?"  I  will  try  to 
tell   you   in   a   few  words.       Most   of   the   descriptionb; 


ii'2  SEA  MOSSE3. 

are  ^vritten  from  herbarium  specimens,  and  describe 
them  as  they  appear  spread  out  on  paper.  And  yet 
where  there  are  characteristic  points  to  be  seen  when 
the  plant  is  found  growing  in  its  native  element,  they 
are  mentioned.  You  will  therefore  find  it  particularly 
serviceable  in  identifying  mounted  specimens.  And 
knowing  these,  you  will  have  little  trouble  in  recogniz- 
ing them  living.  But  the  important  question  is,  how 
shall  you  bring  the  book  and  the  plant  together,  so 
as  to  make  the  one  guide  the  learner  to  the  other. 
First  of  all  by  paying  careful  attention  to  what  the 
book  says,  for  in  every  instance  it  puts  the  emphasis 
of  its  description  upon  the  distinguishing  mark  of  the 
species.  In  the  next  place,  use  your  eyes  in  looking 
at  the  plant,  and  use  your  powers  of  mental  observation. 
Do  not  be  of  those  who  "having  eyes  see  not."  Now 
there  are,  as  I  conceive,  two  ways  of  bringing  the 
book  and  plant  together.  The  first  is  by  taking  a 
plant  and  hunting  up  its  description  and  name  in 
the  book.  You  have  two  ways  for  doing  this :  first, 
see  if  the  plant  in  question  is  figured  in  any  of  the 
plates ;  if  so,  its  name  is  there  and  it  will  be  easy  to 
find  the  descripdon.  If  you  do  not  find  it  figured, 
see  if  you  do  not  find  some  plant  figured  which  is 
near  enough  like  the  one  you  are  studying  to  be  a 
brother   or   cousin  to  it.     If  you  do,  that  will  give  you 


tiSTTRODUCTiOJ^,  33 

the  name  ot  the  genus.  Go  there,  and  among  the 
species  you  will  find  the  plant  in  question.  Suppose, 
for  example,  that  you  have  a  frond  of  the  Ptilota 
elegans  under  observation,  you  will  not  find  that  in 
the  plates ;  but  you  will  find  a  beautiful  copy  of  a 
Ptilota  plit77iosa  var.  serrata,  which  you  will  see 
much  resembles  your  plant,  but  is  not  it.  This  will 
lead  you  to  the  right  genus,  and  then  you  will  soon 
have  the  thing  settled. 

Again,  you  will  find  "  keys  "  at  the  head  of  all  the 
great  divisions  of  the  book,  which  if  carefully  used, 
will  lead  you  easily  to  the  genus  you  are  in  search  of, 
and  once  there  you  will  readily  find  the  species  sought. 
Suppose,  for  example,  you  find  a  mass  of  curled  and 
kinky  wool-like,  green  "  Sea  Moss,"  floating  on 
the  tide  or  entangled  with  Algae  on  the  rocks ;  looking 
at  it  carefully  till  you  observe  that  it  is  a  simple  un- 
branched  thread  of  green,  you  turn  to  the  "key"  for 
Green  Algae ;  the  frond  is  not  membranaceous,  so  you 
will  not  find  it  in  the  first  group.  It  is  filiform,  or 
thread-like,  therefore  you  will  find  it  under  one  or  the 
other  of  the  sub-division  of  this  group.  It  is  un- 
branched,  so  you  are  sure  to  find  it  in  the  first 
division,  for  there  you  read,  "Frond  unbranched, 
sometimes  attached  straight  and  single,  sometimes  float- 
ing, kinked  and  matted  like  wool,"  which  is  an  account 


U  ^BA  MOSSES. 

of  the  plant  you  are  making  inquiries  about,  and  you 
find  that  these  plants  are  in  the  genus  Chcstomorpha. 
Turning  now  to  that,  you  will  find  an  account  of 
the  plant,  such  that  you  will  not  doubt  you  have 
before   you    C.    tortuosa. 

A  second  way  of  making  the  book  and  the  plant 
meet  is  to  select  a  few  common  plants  that  the  book  says 
may  be  found  anywhere,  and  carefully  noting  the 
description,  and  especially  its  habitat,  with  the  best 
image  you  can  form  of  it  in  your  mind,  go  to  the 
places  where  it  ought  to  grow  and  there  search  for  it 
till  you  find  it.  For  example,  you  will  read  in  the 
book  that  the  Polysiphonia  fastigiata  grows  upon  the 
ends  of  Fucus  nodosiis  like  little  bn.Vvn  or  black  balls 
as  big  as  a  walnut.  Now  go  down  and  find  some  o 
this  FuciLs  and  search  till  you  find  some  with  its 
parasite  on  it.  You  will  read  that  Ptilota  elega?is  just 
now  referred  to,  grows  common  on  the  perpendicular 
sides  of  cliffs  and  large  rocks,  under  the  curtain  of 
the  overhanging  "  Rockweed."  Go  there  and  hunt  til] 
you  find  it.  You  are  told  that  many  plants  of  the 
species  Cystoclonium  purpurascens  have  httle  curling 
tendril-like  branches  which  twine  around  other  plants ; 
go  down  to  the  shore  and  turn  over  the  mass 
which  the  retreating  tide  has  left,  till  you  find 
X)me  specimens  of  it,    and  you  will  not  have  to  search 


nvrnoDUCTioN'.  i' 

long.  In  this  way  you  may  find  a  great  many  of 
the  common  forms  and  easily  identify  them  *'  by 
the    book." 

In  making  your  beginning  in  these  studies,  take 
the  easiest  first ;  those  that  are  commonest  and  have 
easily  distinguished  marks.  From  the  more  easy  pro- 
ceed step  by  step  to  the  more  difficult.  Do  not  spend 
unnecessary  care  and  labor  in  trying  to  make  out 
difficult  cases.  Put  them  aside  for  the  present. 
When  you  have  had  more  practice  it  will  be  easier 
for  you. 

Again,  you  may  presume  a  little  on  the  good 
nature  and  kindness  of  botanists,  and  especially  of 
Algologists,  and  send  your  difficult  plants  to  them  to 
nanye  for  you.  I  have  often  done  such  sendee  for 
people.  I  thus  try  to  repay  the  kindness  and  pa- 
tience with  which  my  footsteps  were  guided,  when  I 
first  set  out  in  this  path,  by  many  far  more  distin- 
guished botanists  than  I  ever  expect  to  be.  I  have 
not  a  little  indebtedness  of  this  kind  still  unliqui- 
dated, as  I  trust  some  of  my  readers  will  take  the 
liberty   of  finding   out. 

Still  another  way  to  get  help,  is  to  get  some 
Algologist  to  spare  .  you  out  of  his  duplicates,  by 
exchange  or  purchase,  some  of  the  forms  which  you 
are  inquiring  about,  and  thus  have  something  authentic 


,iC>  SEA  MOSSES. 

for  comparison.  You  would  have  very  little  difficulty 
then  in  fixing  the  place  and  name  of  your  own 
plant. 

CLUBS   AND   CLASSES. 

Supplementary  to  the  subject  presented  in  the 
last  section,  a  few  words  on  the  formation  of  Clubs 
and  Classes  for  the  collection,  mounting,  and  study, 
of  "  Sea  Mosses,"  may  be  said.  The  many  advantages 
of  associated  over  solitary  action  is  everywhere  re- 
cognized. Everybody  knows  that  in  any  undertaking 
where  half  a  dozen  people  can  be  engaged  together, 
more  interest,  enthusiasm,  pleasure,  and  profit,  can 
be  derived  than  where  one  works  all  alone.  So  I 
want  to  recommend  that  when  you  go  to  the  sea 
shore  with  your  friends,  or  go  among  strangers  and 
Qiake  acquaintances  and  friends  at  hotels,  boarding- 
houses,  or  "  camps,"  anywhere  indeed,  where  two  or 
three,  or  half  a  dozen,  intelligent  persons  are  col- 
lected, you  set  about  organizing  a  "  Sea  Moss  Club." 
It  will  not  take  much  talk  or  enthusiasm  on  your 
part  to  convince  some  of  them  at  least,  that  collect- 
ing and  mounting  these  "  things  of  beauty "  will  be 
a  very  pleasant  and  engaging  way  of  spending  tiie 
leisure  hours  of  a  summer  sea-side  vacation.  When 
it  is  practicable,  each  one  should  be  armed  with  a 
copy    of    this   book,  as    the   best    "  Collector's    Guide." 


iMTRODUCtlOM.  37 

You  will  need  no  formal  organization  perhaps,  or  if 
you  want  to  have  a  name  for  your  extemporized  society, 
call  it  after  some  eminent  Botanist.  If  one  of  your 
number  has  had  experience,  or  is  more  wise  than  the 
rest  in  such  things,  let  him  be  appointed  your  leader 
or  director,  and  if  you  care  to  keep  a  record  of  your 
doings,  of  your  tramps,  adventures,  successes,  and 
failures,  your  collectings,  and  your  progress,  appoint  a 
"ready  writer"  for  your  secretary.  Such  a  record 
might  sometime  be  of  real  value  to  scientific  botanists 
in  making  notes  of  the  flora  of  the  region,  and  in 
finding  the  habitat  of  uncommon  species.  It  certainly 
would  in  after  years  serve  to  recall  many  pleasant 
memories.  For  collecting  expeditions  along  the  shore, 
or  to  neighboring  islands,  go  all  together,  or  divide 
off  when  it  would  be  best,  so  as  to  send  parties  of 
two  each,  to  different  localities,  thus  reaching  as 
many  points  as  possible.  Let  each  collect  for  all,  that 
is,  collect  enough  specimens  of  each  kind  so  as  to  be 
able  to  supply  all  with  duplicates.  The  study  of 
new  or  unknown  plants,  both  mounted  and  un- 
mounted, will  be  vastly  more  interesting  and  pro- 
fitable, if  it  is  carried  on  in  company  with  the  others. 
The  saying  is,  "  two  heads  are  better  than  one,  if 
one  is  a  sheep's  head."  So,  six  pair  of  eyes  and 
six   thinking   minds  are    surely   more    than  six   times  as 


38  SEA   MOSSES. 

good  as  one,  in  searching  the  books,  and  identifying 
the   plants. 

I  venture  to  predict,  that  you  will  find  the  doings 
of  the  "Sea  Moss  Club"  an  extremely  pleasant  diver- 
sion, both  socially  and  intellectually.  You  will  find  as 
a  result,  that  every  member  will  be  awakened  to  a 
sdrring,  thrifty,  new  interest  in  Nature's  things,  and 
has  acquired  at  once  a  keen  appetite  for  the  charms 
of  her  more  rare  and  delicate  handiwork,  and  a  new 
faculty   for  seeing   and   observing   her    wondrous   ways. 

"Nature  hath  tones  of  magic  deep,  and  colors  iris  bright, 
And  murmurs  full  of  earnest  truth,  and  visions  of  delight; 
'Tis  said, '  The  heart  that  trusts  in  her,  was  never  yet  beguiled,' 
But  meek  and  lowly  thou  must  be,  and  docile  as  a  child. 
Then  study  her  with  reverence  high,  and  she  will  give  the  key, 
So  shalt  thou  learn  to  comprehend  the  'secret  of  the  sea.'  " 

And    I   shall   venture   also   to    believe   that,   when   you 

"  Fold  your  tents  like  the  Arabs, 
And  as  silently  steal  away  " 

from  the  sound  of  the  surf,  and  the  sight  of  the 
sea  to  take  up  your  toils  again  in  the  hub-bub  and 
confusion  of  this  work-a-day  world,  you  will  be  very 
sure  to  keep  up  the  pleasant  memories  of  the  "Club," 
and  perhaps  also  its  form,  by  correspondence,  and 
furtlier  study  and  exchange  of  plants.  And,  perhaps, 
you  will  hear  of  other  Clubs,  formed  and  working  at 
other  points  of  the  coast,  and  you  will  entei  into 
correspondence  and  exchange  with  them  also. 


INTRODUCTION,  39 

HISTORY. 

It  would  be  an  interesting  branch  of  the  subject 
if  I  had  the  necessary  space  at  my  command,  to 
give  an  adequate  historical  sketch  of  the  cultivation  of 
this  branch  of  botanical  science  in  America.  It  would 
be  especially  so  if  I  could  allow  myself  to  give  even 
a  brief  account  of  the  most  distinguished  workers  in 
this  field.  But  I  cannot.  The  enumeration  of  a 
few  names,  dates,  and  incidents  is  all  I  can  expect 
to. find  room  for  at  this  time. 

Of  course  I  am  not  in  possession  of  data  by 
which  I  can  ever  tell  how  many  scores  or  hundreds 
of  people  every  year  employ  their  leisure  hours  by 
the  sea-side,  in  collecting,  mounting,  and  arranging 
these  plants.  We  know  of  a  few  of  them  who  have 
given  their  collections  to  botanists  to  write  about. 

The  first  person  who  seems  ever  to  have  interested 
himself  in  American  Algae,  vvas  Mr.  Archibald  Menzies, 
who  singularly  enough  made  his  collections  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  The  Phyllospora  from  that  coast  which 
bears  his  name,  was  described,  from  plants  which  he 
brought  from  there  by  the  celebrated  Dawson  Turner, 
in  the  early  part  of  this  century.  He  accompanied 
Vancouver  in  his  expedition  to  North  Western 
America  in  1792-3,  and  with  him  sailed  around  the 
world. 


40  SBA  MOSSES. 

Harvey  speaks  of  him,  as  he  knew  him  late  in 
life,  as  one  of  the  best  preserved  specimens  of  a 
green  old  age  that  he  ever  knew,  still  enthusiastic 
in  his  studies ;  and  with  his  plants  before  him,  re- 
calling with  great  vividness  the  stirring  and  often  ad- 
venturous scenes  which  were  associated  with  their 
collection.  Many  of  them  more  than  half  a  century 
gone.  Harvey  writes  :  "  It  was  his  enthusiasm  which 
first  possessed  me  with  a  desire  to  explore  the 
American  shores,  a  desire  which  has  followed  me 
through   life." 

In  1825,  Beechy  made  his  exploring  expedition 
into  the  North  Pacific  and  brought  home  many  plants, 
an  account  of  which  was  published  in  1833.  In  July, 
1840,  a  Russian  exploring  expedition  touched  the 
California  coast,  and  carried  away  several  interesting 
plants,  some  of  which  were  described  and  figured  by 
Ruprecht,  in  St.  Petersburgh,  in  1852.  Subsequently 
Dr.    Coulter   collected   in    Monterey   Bay. 

The  first  collector  of  California  Algae,  whose  col- 
lections fell  into  the  hands  of  botanists,  subsequently 
to  the  time  of  the  great  emigration  to  that  land  in 
'49,  was  Mr.  A.  D.  Frye,  of  New  York  city.  His 
collections  were  made  about  1850.  They  attracted 
some  attention  in  New  York  as  well  as  in  San 
Francisco.     The  plants   in  this  collection  are  the  ones 


INTRODUCTION.  41 

chiefly  used  by  Harvey  in  making  his  account  of 
the  Pacific  Algae  in  the  ''  Nereis."  Since  that  time, 
and  especially  during  the  last  ten  years,  many  in- 
dustrious botanists  have  been  at  work  on  that  rich  and 
beautiful  flora.  I  need  not  here  mention  the  names 
of  this  distinguished  company,  for  several  of  the  best 
known  of  them  get  frequent  mention  in  the  pages  of 
this  book.  These  and  others  appear  often  in  the 
botanical  publications  by  other  hands. 

Previously  to  1850,  the  knowledge  of  the  marine 
botany  of  our  eastern  coast  was  in  a  very  imperfect 
and  chaotic  state.  There  were  a  few  collectors  in 
Boston  and  vicinity.  How  much  any  of  them,  with 
the  exception  of  Dr.  Gray,  knew  about  the  natural 
history  or  the  systematic  arrangement  of  the  plants 
does  not  appear.  They  included  among  others  such 
men  as  the  late  Mr.  Geo.  B.  Emerson  and  Dr.  Silas 
Durkee.  Mr.  Stephen  T.  Olney,  of  Providence,  who 
did  no  inconsiderable  work  in  illustrating  the  botany 
of  Rhode  Island,  collected  a  large  number  of  Algae, 
which  are  now  in  the  Olney  Herbarium  of  Brown 
University. 

A  few  enthusiastic  and  capable  collectors  about 
New  York  city  had  been  at  work  for  some  time, 
inspired  and  guided  by  that  able  and  devoted  naturalist, 
Prof.  J.  W.  Bailey,  of  the  West  Point  Mihtary  Academy, 


42  SBA  MOSSES. 

whom  Dr.  Harvey  calls  "the  earUest  American  worker 
in  the  field  of  Algology."  He  sent  the  first  specimens 
of  our  American  Algae  to  Dr.  Harvey.  Though 
Prof.  Bailey  lived  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
sea,  he  was  mainly  instrumental  in  awakening  an 
interest  in  these  plants  among  those  who  were  better 
situated  for  collecting  them  than  he.  They  were  accus- 
tomed to  send  their  plants  to  him,  and  when  he  could 
not  resolve  them  after  patient  study,  he  sent  them  abroad 
to  be  determined  by  the  more  advanced  Algologists 
of  Europe ;  and  so,  gradually,  there  came  to  be  a  little 
scientific  knowledge  about  these  things  difiused  among 
American  collectors.  There  was  a  little  knot  of  en- 
thusiastic Algologists  in  New  York  city  and  Brooklyn. 
Am^ong  them,  Hooper,  Lounsbury,  Pike,  Congdon, 
Walter  and  Averill,  with  whom  Bailey  was  in  constant 
correspondence,  and  evidently  sometimes  went  col- 
lecting. 

In  a  letter,  which  I  have,  written  by  him  to  Mr. 
Hooper,  he  refers  to  that  company  in  a  pleasant  way 
as  the  "  Algerines,"  and  invites  them  all  to  come  up 
to  West  Point,  and  look  over  his  collections;  ''then," 
he  says,  "I  believe  you  will  carry  the  war  into 
Barbary  with  nev\^  zeal.  It  will  be  no  less  pleasure," 
he  adds,  "  to  show  my  microscope,  &c.,  to  several 
friends    at   the    same    time    than    to    one    alone."     In 


INTR  OD  UC  TI  ON.  43 

those  days,  before  1S50 —  though  how  much  before  I 
cannot  say,  as  the  letter  has  no  date — a  microscope, 
in  this  country  at  least,  was  a  curiosity  of  no  small 
moment.  Of  that  company  I  believe  only  Captain 
Pike   remains. 

A  complete  set  of  the  published  and  manuscript 
notes  of  Prof.  Bailey's  patient  and  accurate  scientific 
observations,  together  with  his  scientific  correspond- 
ence, his  large  collection  of  Algae,  and  no  less  than 
3,000  mounted  and  catalogued  microscopical  objects, 
are  in  the  possession  of  the  Boston  Natural  History 
Society,  and  are  accessible  to  all  students  of  science. 

It  was  mainly  through  the  influence  of  Prof. 
Bailey,  that  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Harvey,  Prof,  of  Botany 
in  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  and  the  most  learned  and 
distinguished  British  Algologist,  came  to  this  country, 
to  study  and  publish  our  plants.  Arrangements  were 
made  for  the  publication  of  the  Memoir-,  and  Dr. 
Harvey  came  here  about  1850,  and  remained  in  the 
country  several  months  visiting  important  points  from 
Halifax  to  Key  West,  and  collecting  largely,  also 
availing  himself  of  the  collections  of  others.  From 
the  material  thus  gathered,  he  published  through  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  the  largest  work  ever  yet  issued 
on  American  Alg^  —  the  "Nereis  Boreali- Americana." 

The    first    part    containing    the    olive    colored    sea 


44  SEA  MOSSES. 

weed/ was  published  in  January,  1852;  the  second 
part  on  the  red  sea  weed,  about  a  year  later;  and 
the  third  on  the  green  Algae,  not  till  1857,  after 
Dr.  Harvey's  return  from  Australia.  They  are  in 
quarto  form,  contain  50  colored  plates,  and  can  be 
bought   for  about  $25. 

Since  those  days  a  nev/  generation  has  come  up. 
But  in  the  meanwhile,  for  a  space  of  twenty  years, 
scarcely  anything  was  published  on  American  Algae. 
At  the  present  time  there  are  a  few  enthusiastic  col- 
lectors, and  a  still  smaller  number  of  devoted  students 
of  Marine  Algae  scattered  up  and  down  our  exten- 
sive seaboard.  The  names  of  several  of  them  will  be 
found  making  frequent  appearance  in  these  pages. 
Only  two  of  our  more  distinguished  living  botanists 
have  given  special  attention  to  this  subject :  Dr.  Wm. 
G.  Farlow,  of  Harvard  University ;  and  Prof.  Daniel  C. 
Eaton,  of  Yale  College ;  the  former  of  whom  brings 
to  his  work  the  advantage  of  several  years'  critical 
study  of  these  plants  under  some  of  the  most  cele- 
brated Agologists  of  Europe  —  the  lamented  Thuret, 
and  the  learned  Agardh,  and  others.  Dr.  Farlow's 
pubHcations  consist  of  several  annotated  lists  of  Algae, 
including  new  species,  issued  in  the  proceedings  of  the 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  in  the  reports  of 
the  U.  S.  Fish  Commissioners.     A  much  more  elaborate 


INTRODUCTION.  45 

work  from  his  pen  will  shortly  be  published  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Fish  Commission,  if  indeed  it  shall 
not  come  to  my  readers  before  they  see  this, 

I  cannot  conclude  this  introductory  chapter,  with- 
out saying  that  if  this  book  shall  be  the  means  of 
awakening  any  interest  in  these  creations,  among  the 
sojourners  by  the  sea-side,  I  should  be  sorry  if  it 
should  fail  to  carry  the  mind  beyond  the  creature 
to  the  Creator. 

To  me,  the  best  story  which  any  flower  of  land 
or  sea  can  tell,  is  the  story  it  whispers  to  my 
heart,  not  only  of  the  skill  and  wisdom  which  fash- 
ioned it,  but  also  of  the  beneficient  and  sleepless 
care  which  has  kept  and  preserved  it,  has  ministered 
to  its  humble  wants,  and  will  not  let  it  perish  with- 
out His  notice. 

"Not  a  flower 
But  shows  some  touch  in  freckle  streak  or  stain, 
Of  his  unrivaled  pencil." 

"  The  Lord  of  all,  Himself  thiough  all  diffused, 
Sustains,  and  is  the;  life  of  all  that  lives, 
Nature  is  but  a  name  for  an  effect, 
Whose  cause  is.  God;  He  feeds  the  sacred  fire, 
By  which  the  mighty  process  is  mamtainedJ 
He  sleeps  not, —  is  not  weary;  in  whose  designs 
No  flaw  deforms,  no  difSculty  thwarts, 
And  whose  beneficence  no  change  exhausts." 


CHAPTER   II. 


BBIGRT  GBEEN  ALGuE. 


I 


KEY  TO    THE    GENERA. 


BRIGHT  GREEN  ALG^. 

I.     Frond   Membranous. 

I.  Color   Green. 

(^,)     Frond,    wide,    long    and   thin,    the   largest 

green  Algse.  ^/     C" 

Ulva,       ^    Ip- 

{b?)     PVond,  narrow,    sometimes   inflated,   always 

tubular. 

Enter omorpha. 

2.  Color,  Brown   or   Purple. 

Frond,  thin,  translucent,  sheeny,  satin-like. 

Porphyra.  \  ^ 

II.     Frond  Filiform.  b«5^ 

I .   Frond    Unb ranched. 

Sometimes      attached,     straight      and      single, 

sometimes    floating,    kinked    and     matted 

hke  wool.  ^  , 

Chcetoino7pha.  !)•' 

2.  Frond   Branched. 

{a.)     Stem    and    (straight)     branches      each     a 

single    cell,    not  jointed. 

Bryopsis. 

(b.)  Stem  and  branches  jointed,  that  is, 
composed  of  short  single  cells  at- 
tached  end   to   end. 

Cladophora.      p 


Sz^eidC-n   ^iii    ^Wc^€-tv   off  ,    cFi^clve    vvn5  jegficfi   ^ei/uw-ti^t 

"^n^  »ic^  nahz'C^x  tiK>ffcvi.   ale   a^e  !       §lcli.c,    uwb  ifvi^ten. 

GCcic^   £l^a^!)e5^^encj<^r.vucic|elAgic}Cl-ntbc-^^e    SSfdttcz.   wm^    cSdvibcx, 
3'fttt^evv^e   (^di-teti.   uofC  2z.acfvt  in   ^cvm-  boofv  iichtioie^vi   cHclcli.. 

2ffd-n::.clWM, 

Svttczt  boc^  ae^at  i4ocA.    un-   SSacTv   r<ii.teatcs    £lCc|enc|evuixr, 
(^■tu-nevi^e  SttdAM/C'W  ofiti>ez4abe  scPvfupftii^e   clffuvMpei^, 

'3)cxc4i.   *^Ww/nbc-rQ«fva-ft  aic^  -nuz-  ^ewt   eFo^acf^e-:p  «vi-t^cc^t ; 
§tauvic/n  c-x^aasfc  ^ic   Sce^  -uoi.  aCf  ^ein   Sc fiei-MVHvaa  ^Vco  ScGcv^a, 

^Wefcfvco  ba:>  Wevnatc  Sc^iCb  oeffcat  rw>c^  im  'S'top|c4a  ei4-tfvwfft. 


,^:=5-  -^^^-^^^^'^';^^  ■c_=^^^ 


CHAPTER   II. 

DESCRIPTION    OF   GENERA   AND   SPECIES. 

Sub-Class.—  CHLOROSPOR^. 
Oxdex.— SIPHONED. 
Genus.— BR VOPSIS*  Lam. 

^Jl^HE  American  genera  of  this  order  are  all  inhabit- 
<^j  ants  of  the  warmer  seas,  except  the  Pryopsis, 
and  that  is  represented  by  but  one  species  in  oui 
northern  waters.  The  characteristic  of  the  order  is 
the  tube-like  structure  of  the  different  parts  of  the 
frond.  Each  main  stem  branch  or  branchlet  is  a 
single  long  undivided  cell,  filled  with  a  green  granular 
substance,  suspended  in  the  watery  fluids  of  the  plant. 

♦  Biyopsis= Moss-like 


48  SEA  MOSSES. 

Bryopis  plumosa,*  Lam. 

Perhaps  the  most  beautiful  of  our  green  Algae  is 
the  one  here  named.  The  artist  gives,  in  Plate  I., 
an  admirable  representation  of  a  typical  plant  col 
lected  by  my  friend  Mr.  A.  R.  Young,  at  Hell  Gate, 
N.  Y.  The  picture  will  give  you  a  better  idea  of 
this  interesting  plant  than  any  description  in  mere 
words.  But  it  had  better  be  said,  that  it  com- 
monly grows  in  tufts,  a  considerable  number  of 
fronds  from  the  same  point,  from  two  to  six  inches 
high.  The  leading  filament  is  beset  all  around,  or 
sometimes  on  two  opposite  sides  only,  with  long 
widely  spreading  branches,  which  are  shorter  toward 
the  top  of  the  plant.  These,  in  their  upper  half, 
are  clothed  with  long  or  short,  straight  branchlets,  so 
placed  as  to  give  the  plant  a  decidedly  plumose  or 
feathery  appearance.  It  grows  upon  the  rocks,  or 
parasitical  upon  other  Algae,  in  shaded  tide  pools 
along  our  rocky  shores.  Mr.  Collins  informs  me 
that  it  may  be  found  upon  the  muddy  bottoms  of 
Mystic  River,  ''where  the  tide  ebbs  and  flows  twice 
in  twenty-four  hours."  I  found  some  very  beautiful 
si^ecimens  of  it  growing  in  a  clear  pool  beside  over- 
hanging   rocks    on    Ram    Island,   off   the    Marblehead 

♦  Plumosa=featheiy. 


I'kVOI'SIS    I'LUMOSA,    La  > 


PI  AT  - 


GREEN  ALGJ^.  49 

shore.      Miss    Booth    found    it   floating   up   from    deep 
water    at    Orient,    L.   I.      Mrs.    Davis    collects    it    in 
tide    pools    at    Gloucester.      It    is    not    a   rare    plant, 
though    not   very   common.      It    may    be    found    from 
July   to   October,   and  very  likely   later.      I   have  some 
very    fine    plants    collected    by    Mr.    Young,    at    Hell 
Gate,    New    York    city,    the    last    part    of    September. 
It    may   no    doubt   be    looked    for   in    the    same    situa- 
tions   on     the    Pacific    coast,    as    it    grows    nearly    all 
over    the   globe.      I    have   a    fine    specimen    from    Dr. 
Dimmick,    of    Santa     Barbara,    California.        It     is     of 
a    dark    green     color,    and   its    delicate   feathery    frond 
can    never    be    mistaken,    when    seen    displayed    in    all 
its    rare    beauty    in    the    crystal    waters    of   the    rocky 
basins    where    it    makes    its    home.      When     mounted 
and    dry   it   adheres  well   to   paper   and   has  a   peculiar 
glossy  look. 


Order.—  ZOOSPORES. 

Genus  —  ENTER OMORPHA,^  Link. 

The  plants  of  this  genus  are  of  a  bright  green 
color,  resemble  the  Ulva  in  structure,  and  grow  in 
much    the    same    situations    along    side    of    that,    and 

*  Enteromorpha  =  Intestine-shaped. 


50  SEA  MOSSBS. 

mingled  with  it  in  tide  pools  and  upon  the  rocks 
between  tides.  They  are  distinguished  from  that  by 
their  sma//er  and  tubular  fronds.  There  are  three 
American  species  of  this  genus,  common  everywhere, 
on  both  sides  of  the  continent,  and  easily  distinguished 
from  each  other. 

Enteromorpha  intestinalis  Link. 
The  first  named  species  is  a  simple  unbranched 
frond.  Very  slender  at  the  bottom,  it  gradually 
expands  to  the  width  of  half  an  inch  or  more,  some- 
times an  inch  and  a  half,  and  grows  from  six  to  ten 
inches  high.  It  keeps  nearly  of  the  same  width 
throughout.  When  found  growing  in  the  tide  pools, 
it  will  usually  be  seen  to  be  inflated,  or  filled  with  air 
bubbles.  Being  filled  out  in  this  way,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  little  constricted  at  irregular  intervals, 
it  has  a  decidedly  intestinal  appearance.  The  color 
is  a  light  green,  but  portions  of  the  frond,  especially 
at  the  top,  will  often  be  found  colorless  or  white, 
ou  ing  to  the  fact  that  the  chlorophyl,  or  green  coloring 
matter  of  the  cells,  has  been  discharged.  The  un- 
branched inflated  frond  distinguishes  this  species. 

Enteromorpha  compressa  Grev. 
In  this  species  the  frond  is  compressed  or  flattened, 
and   is   never  inflated.     The   two  layers  of  cells  which 


GREEN  ALG^E.  51 

make  up  the  substance  of  the  frond  appear  never  to 
be  separated.  This  is  the  most  widely  distributed  of 
the  species  of  this  genus.  It  is  found  in  all  waters 
rom  the  equator  to  the  arctic  circle,  and  beyond.  It 
is  extremely  slender  at  the  base,  but  gradually 
expands  upwards.  The  branches  come  out  mostly 
near  the  bottom,  are  themselves  commonly  unbranched, 
and  are  neither  so  wide  nor  so  long  as  the  fronds  of 
the  last  species.  They  mostly  have  blunt  tops  which 
look  as  though  they  had  been  cut  square  off.  Most 
of  my  plants  are  three  or  four  inches  high,  though 
I  have  some  but  an  inch,  and  some  quite  eight  inches. 
The  color  is  a  litde  darker  green  than  the  last,  and 
the  substance  thicker.  The  branched  frond  dis- 
tinguishes this,  species  from  the  last,  and  the  simple 
unbranched  branches  distinguishes  it  from  the  next. 

Enteromorpha  clathrata,Grev. 

This  is  by  far  the  most  variable  of  our  Enteromoj-phcB. 
It  is  more  slender  than  E.  cojupressa,  or  any  typical 
form  of  E.  intestinalis.  It  is  often  so  fine  and  hair- 
like, that  you  will  certainly  think  it  a  Cladophora. 
But  a  careful  look  at  it  with  your  pocket  lens  will 
show  you  that  the  stem  and  branches  are  not  made 
up  of  a  string  of  single  cells,  placed  end  to  end,  as 
in   that   genus.     This   plant   is   profusely  branched,  and 


52  SEA  MOSSES. 

the  branches  are  divided  and  subdivided  until  they 
are  no  thicker  at  the  ends  than  human  hairs.  The 
lesser  branches  are  apt  to  be  spiney.  I  have 
specimens  of  E.  clathrata  in  my  herbarium,  whose 
fronds  are  nowhere  more  than  one-eighih  of  an  inch 
wide,  though  they  are  a  foot  and  a  half  long.  They 
will  be  found  of  various  lengths,  from  two  or  three 
inches  up.  Under  a  high  magnifying  power,  the 
cells  composing  the  frond  will  be  found  to  be  quite 
square,  and  placed  in  a  regular  rectangular  order,  so 
that  the  frond  will  appear  tesselated  or  latticed;  hence 
its  name. 


Genus.— C/Zr^,*  L. 

The  largest  bright  green  plants  in  all  seas  belong 
to  this  genus.  Two  species  are  usually  quite  large 
when  full  grown,  though  there  are  plenty  of  them  in 
the  young  state,  and  the  collector  will  find  them  in 
abundance  no  more  than  two  or  three  inches  high. 
The  first  two  species  are  common  on  both  coasts ; 
the  last  grows  only  on  the  Pacific. 

Ulva  latissima,  L. 

The  widest   Ulva   is   extremely  variable  in  size  and 

*  Ulva,  from  Ul  =  water  in  Celtic. 


GREEN  ALG^.  53 

shape,  varying  in  respect  to  the  former  from  two  to 
twelve  inches  in  width,  and  from  six  to  twenty-four 
and  thirty-six  inches  in  length.  And  in  respect  to 
the  latter,  it  is  sometimes  simple,  and  sometimes 
lobed,  sometimes  plain,  and  as  broad  as  long,  some- 
times long  ruffled,  or  plaited  on  the  edge.  The 
substance  of  the  frond  is  thin  and  soft,  and  very 
smooth  and  glossy,  like  silk.  The  color  is  a  brilliant 
green,  being  darker  the  deeper  the  water  it  grows 
in.  It  sometimes  turns  brownish  in  the  herbarium. 
It  is  often  found  pierced  with  holes,  the  results  either 
of  age  or  of  the  attack  of  snails.  It  is  an  annual, 
but  is  often  found  in  winter.  It  grows  in  pools  and 
below  low-tide  mark.  It  is  so  common  everywhere 
that  I  need  not  give  special  habitats. 

Var.  Linza  L. —  This  is  a  charming  and  interesting 
plant.  Starting  from  a  minute  "  hold- fast,"  as  we 
call  the  root,  or  place  of  attachment  of  the  plant  in 
Algae,  it  gradually  expands  to  the  breadth  of  an  inch 
or  more,  and  rises  to  the  height  of  six  or  eight  inches. 
The  edges  are  full  or  ruffled,  so  that  when 
spread  out  on  paper,  the  plant  seems  plaited  all 
down  the  sides,  and  the  full  grass  green  color  of  the 
frond  is  deepened  at  every  plait.  Our  figure,  Plate 
II.,  gives  a  very  good  account  of  it.  It  is  quite 
common    along    our    rocky   shores    northward,   adheres 


54  SEA  MOSSES. 

well   to   paper,   and  is,  by  far,  the   most  beautiful   and 
most  manageable  of  our  UIvce,  for  the  herbarium. 

Ulva  lactuca,*  L. 

The  full  grown  plant  differs  from  the  polymorphus 
laiissinia,  which  it  in  most  respects,  much  resembles, 
chiefly  in  these  two  particulars.  It  is  of  a  paler  color, 
and  a  much  thinner  substance.  On  dissection,  it  is 
found  to  consist  of  but  one  layer  of  cells,  while  U. 
lattissima  has  two  layers.  This  fact,  no  doubt,  accounts 
for  both  the  peculiarities  named  above.  When  young, 
it  is  said  to  form  an  inflated  bag  like  an  overgrown 
Enteromorpha  intestinalis,  then  at  length  by  splitting 
along  the  side,  floats  out  a  thin  membrane  of  but 
one  layer  of  cells.  It  is  an  annual,  and  appears 
in  spring  and  summer  along  with,  but  not  so  com- 
mon as  U.  lattissima.  I  found  it  in  August,  very 
plentiful  and  very  large  at  Southold,  L.  I. 

Ulva  fasciata,  t  Delile. 

The  frond  is  more  rigid  even  than  that  of  U. 
lattissima;  rises  from  a  short  stem,  and  is  divided  into 
several  strap-shaped  segments  half  to  three-fourths  of 
an  inch  wide,  of  nearly  equal  breadth  throughout,  and  six 

*  Lactuca  ==  lettuce, 
t  Fasciata  ==  bundled. 


.* 

^ 


)    A  I  ISslMA.      J  ^  \      ;;■ .         \  .\^  /  ^ 


GREEN  ALG^.  55 

or  eight  inches  long,  either  simple  or  forked.  The 
margin  is  mostly  toothed  and  frequently  undulate. 
The  color  is  a  full  grass  green,  and  the  plants 
in  my  herbarium  certainly  keep  their  color  much  better 
than  the  Ulvcz  of  our  coast.  My  plants  adhere  well 
to  paper.  It  is  found  in  abundance  at  Santa  Bar- 
bara, California,  but  my  correspondents  do  not  else- 
where report  it  from  that  coast. 


Genus.^-FORPBYRA*  Ag. 

In   structure,   as   well  as   in    habit  of    growth,  and 

method   of  reproduction,  this    Genus  agrees  very  well 

with    the    Ulva.      There  is    but    one  species    in  this 
genus. 

PORPHYRA   VULGARIS,    Ag.    "  LaVER." 

Common  everywhere.  It  is  known  by  its  frond 
of  dark  purple,  thin  and  somewhat  elastic  membrane, 
which  has  a  peculiar  sheen  like  that  of  satin.  This 
quality  of  it  is  retainetl  somewhat  even  when  dry, 
but  is  very  striking  and  beautiful  when  the  plant  is 
in  ilie  water.  The  frond  is  as  variable  in  form  as 
that  of  the  Ulva,  from  which  it  differs  mainly  in 
respect    to    color.      I    have   often    found    it   near   low 

*  Porphyra  =  purple-weed- 


56  SEA   MOSSES. 

tide,  growing  attached  to  boulder  rocks,  a  great 
broad  membrane,  ten  inches  across,  attached  by  a 
single  point  near  the  middle  of  the  frond ;  again  it 
will  put  forth  a  number  of  segments  of  such  a 
frond,  attached  by  their  sides  to  one  point;  again  a 
narrowish  frond  a  foot  long  or  more,  attached  by  a  short 
stem  at  one  end.  But  the  purple  or  brownish  color, 
and  the  "  sheeny "  smooth,  satin-like  appearance  of  the 
frond  will  always  serve  to  identify  it.  It  is  much  used 
in  Great  Britain  as  an  article  of  food  for  a  relish 
with  roast  meat.  The  Chinese  use  it  for  making 
some  sort  of  soup.  The  North  Adams  Colony  im- 
ported it  by  barrels  from  China  at  one  time.  It  does 
not  adhere  well  to  paper  in  drying,  shrinking  and 
pulling  away.  But  it  is  said,  that  if  the  cloth  is  not 
removed  from  it  at  all  till  it  has  been  under  heavy 
pressure  for  a  considerable  time,  and  is  fully  dry,  it 
adheres  perfectly  to  the  paper.  It  is  an  annual,  and 
may  be  found  the  season  through.  I  have  fine 
specimens  of  it  from  Cahfornia  and  from  China,  which 
have  a  rich  dark  purple  color.  And  I  have  it  from 
England  as  red  as  the  "Dulse."  But  my  plants  from 
the  shores  of  Massachusetts  Bay  are  of  a  very  decided 
brown. 


GREEN   ALG^.  57 

Genus.— CLADOPBORA*  Kiitz. 

No  less  than  nineteen  species  of  this  genus  are 
enumerated  in  Dr.  Farlow's  list  of  1876,  at  least, 
fifteen  of  which  are  said  to  be  natives  of  our  northern 
shores.  But  our  best  botanists  think  the  genus  sadly 
in  need  of  revision,  for  this  country  at  least ;  and  assert 
that  certainly  two  distinct  systems  of  classification  and 
nomenclature  prevail  in  Europe.  I  shall  attempt  to 
give  an  account  here  of  those  species  only  which  I 
believe  can  be  so  described  as  to  be  easily  determined 
by  the  Amateur  Collector.  For  the  rest,  you  must 
needs  make  resort  to  the  friendly  aid  of  those  botanists, 
whose  ample  suites  of  specimens  will  enable  them, 
by  comparison  with  yours,  to  determine  your  plant  at 
a  glance.  The  plants  belonging  to  this  genus,  make 
up  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  the  green  flora  of 
our  waters,  and  many  of  them  make  very  beautiful 
specimens  for  the  herbarium.  The  genus  is  charac- 
terized by  extreme  simplicity  of  structure.  The 
main  stem  and  branches  alike  consist  of  a  sort  of 
jointed  thread,  made  up  of  single  cells,  attached  end 
to  end.  The  plants  are  always  profusely  branched, 
and  in  this  regard  are  distinguished  from  those  of 
the  next  genus,  which  are  never  branched. 

*  Cladophora  =  branch-bearing. 


68  SEA  A/OSSES. 

Cladophora  arcta,  Dillw. 
The  arched  Cladophora,  of  which  we  give  a  fine 
and  characteristic  illustration  in  Plate  III.,  is  named 
from  the  peculiar  habit  of  its  growth.  The  branches 
divide  and  subdivide  by  extremely  acute  angles,  and 
the  ramifications  are  all  very  straight.  This  prevents 
the  unsymmetrical  outline  common  to  most  plants  of 
this  genus,  keeps  the  branches  somewhat  close  together 
as  they  rise  upward,  and,  at  the  same  time,  permits 
them  to  separate  gradually  and  symmetrically.  This 
gives  the  tuft  its  arched  and  graceful  form,  not  unlike 
the  outline  of  our  more  perfect  and  beautiful  elms. 
This  characteristic  of  form,  the  yellowish  green  color, 
and  the  decidedly  glossy  or  silky  look,  which  the 
plant  usually  presents  when  dry  and  pressed  on  paper, 
makes  its  determination  easy.  Another  peculiarity 
which  may  be  noticed  in  the  dried  specimen  is  the 
disposition  of  the  chlorophyl  of  the  terminal  branchlets 
to  collect  in  the  extreme  end  cell,  making  that  cell 
have  a  distinctly  darker  green  color  than  the  cells  just 
below  it  in  the  branch.  It  is  an  annual.  Mr.  Collins 
finds  it  common  at  Nahant  and  Nantasket,  on  rocks 
between  tides,  from  March  to  July.  Miss  Booth  finds  it 
extremely  rare  at  Peconic  Bay,  L.  I.  At  Marblehead  I 
gathered  it  frequently  during  the  summer  months.  It  is 
often  found  on  the  California  coast,  near  Santa  Cruz. 


GREEN  ALG^.  5& 

Cladophora  uncialis,  Fl.  Dan. 

As  its  name  implies,  is  about  an  inch  long.  I 
have  found  it  growing  in  tide  pools,  or  on  the  rocks 
near  low  tide,  in  little  globose  tufts,  about  an  inch 
across,  and  of  the  same  height.  The  tuft  grows  from 
a  mass  of  matted  root-fibres.  It  is  more  or  less  closely 
matted  together  by  reason  of  its  wide  and  irregular 
branching.  When  growing,  the  plant  is  of  a  bright 
green  color,  which  will  be  discharged  if  it  is  put  into 
fresh  water.  When  dry  it  is  quite  a  yellowish  green, 
lighter  still  toward  the  centre  of  the  tuft.  The  cells  of  the 
main  stems  and  branches  are  of  nearly  uniform  length, 
and  two  or  three  times  longer  than  broad.  My  plants 
are  all  from  Marblehead  where  they  were  collected 
in  midsummer.  Mr.  Collins  finds  this  plant  in  the 
same  locaHties,  seasons  and  situations,  as  the  C.  arcta, 
which  it  resembles  not  a  little.  My  other  correspond- 
ents do  not  report  it,  though  no  doubt  it  may  be 
found  along  our  whole  northern  coast. 

Cladophora  rupestris,  L. 

The  Cladop]io7'a  "of  the  rock,"  is  a  very  distinctly 
marked  species.  It  grows  between  tides  and  below. 
Its  best  forms  are  to  be  found  in  tide  pools  near  low 
water   mark,    or   on   the   perpendicular   sides   of    rocks, 


CO  SB  A  MOSSES. 

near  low  tide,  under  the  curtain  of  the  overhanging 
J^ud.  It  is  a  very  dark,  dull  green.  Its  filaments  are 
coarse,  stiff,  straight  and  rigid.  Its  secondary  branches 
divide  at  very  acute  anp^les,  and  therefore,  as  in  C. 
arcta,  cluster  and  cling  aomewhat  closely  about  the 
principal  branches.  There  is  a  decided  tendency  in 
the  main  branches  to  separate  from  each  other,  and 
stand  aloof  with  their  closely  clustering  branchlets. 
These  separate  pencils  of  dark  green  filaments  are  of 
quite  unequal  length.  The  tuft  is  commonly  three 
or  four  inches  high,  but  sometimes,  six  or  eight.  It 
is  not  uncommon  from  New  York  city  northward ;  but 
it  certainly  is  more  beautiful  on  our  northern  New 
England  shores.  It  is  reported  from  Nahant  and 
Cape  Ann,  by  Mr.  Collins  and  Mrs.  Bray,  from  March 
to  December. 

Cladophora  cartilaginea,  Rupr. 

Is  a  California  plant,  and  is  found  growing,  as  Dr. 
Anderson  informs  me,  at  all  seasons,  on  rocks  and 
other  sea  weeds,  in  tide  pools,  very  common  at  Santa 
Cruz.  Its  robust,  coarse  frond;  perceptable  harsh- 
ness to  the  touch;  dull  green  color;  stiff,  straight 
branches,  set  at  an  acute  angle  with  the  stem ;  its 
refusal  to  adhere  to  the  paper,  as  well  as  its  general 
appearance,    relate    it    closely    with     C.    rupestris.       It 


GREEN  ALG^E.  61 

differs  in  being  of  a  shade  lighter  color,  and  a  some- 
what slenderer  filament.  This  is  almost  the  only 
Cladophora  which  gets  sent  over  here  from  California, 
though  it  is  not  the  only  one  growing  there.  It  is 
reported  common  all  along  the  coast. 

Cladophora  refracta,*  Roth. 

This  plant  grows  on  rocky  shores  in  tide  pools. 
The  filaments  are  very  slender  and  fine,  profusely 
branched.  The  end  branchlets  are  so  profuse,  and 
so  widely  set,  even  recurved,  or  bent  back,  that  they 
give  the  plant  a  very  decidedly  feathery,  or  downy 
appearance  all  along  the  edges  of  the  frond  and 
branches.  This  is  its  most  characteristic  mark.  It 
is  a  bright  green  in  the  water,  but  fades  a  good  deal 
when  dried  and  mounted.  It  grows  three  or  four 
inches  high.  It  is  a  summer  annual,  and  may  be 
looked  for  on  the  whole  coast,  in  tide  pools,  or  float- 
ing up  from  deep  water. 

Cladophora  gracilis,  f  Griff. 

This  species  grows  in  deep  water,  parasitical  upon 
Zo:;tcra  and  smaller  Alga^'  in  the  Laininaria  region. 
It   generally   has    its   main    branches    much    interwoven 

*  Refracta  =  bent  back. 

t  Gracilis  =  slender,  graceful. 


T)^  SEA  MOSSES. 

and  entangled,  so  that  it  will  look  like  a  formless 
mass  of  green  as  it  rises  to  the  surface  of  the  water 
and  washes  on  shore.  The  only  guiding  mark  is  its 
long,  straight,  or  inwardly  curved  ultimate  branchlets. 
These  are  conspicuous,  and  the  cells  of  wliich  they 
are  made  are  also  seven  or  eight  times  longer  than 
broad.  The  filaments  are  as  fine  as  human  hair,  six 
or  eight  inches  long,  and  have  a  very  silky  look  when 
massed  in  the  mounted  specimen.  The  color  is  a 
very  bright  yellowish  green  when  fresh.  Mr.  Collins 
finds  it  at  Nahant  between  tide  marks.  It  is  a  summer 
plant. 

Cladophora  glaucescens,  Griff. 

Grows  in  tufts  not  much  entangled,  on  stones  and 
rocks,  between  tide  marks  and  in  pools,  from  three  to 
five  inches  high.  The  branches  divide  and  subdivide 
excessively,  are  quite  slender,  and  the  ultimate  branches 
are  closely  beset  usually  on  the  inside,  almost  always 
on  one  side  only,  with  a  series  of  straight,  acutely 
branching  undivided  branchlets,  composed  of  several 
cells.  In  drying,  the  chlorophyl  is  usually  dissipated 
to  one  end  of  the  cell,  making  the  plant  under  the 
lens  look  somewhat  variegated.  The  filaments  are 
constricted  at  the  joints  of  the  cells.  Color  a  pale  or 
glaucous  green. 


Green  algje.  g3 

Cladophora  fluxuosa,  Griff. 

Harvey  Considers  this  plant  nearly  related  to  the 
last,  if  it  is  even  specifically  distinct.  It  is  chiefly 
distinguished  by  its  less  compound  habit,  the  length 
and  nakedness  of  the  principal  branches,  and  their 
fluxuosity.  It  grows  in  rock  pools  between  tides,  is 
not  very  common,  and  is  found  both  north  and  south 
of  Cape  Cod. 

Cladophor.\  l^tevirens,  Dillw. 

The  filaments  are  rather  loosely  tufted,  feathery, 
robust  and  somewhat  firm  or  rigid ;  color,  a  pale 
green,  as  its  name  indicates,  faded,  and  without  gloss 
when  dry.  "  Filaments  three  to  four  inches  long,  or 
more,  much  branched,  main  stem  flexuous  or  angularly 
bent,  set  with  alternate  or  scattered  occasionally 
opposite,  repeatedly  decompound  patent  branches." 
Articulations  of  the  main  stem,  four  to  eight  times, 
of  the  ramuli,  three  to  four  times  as  long  as  broad. 
Substance  not  very  soft.  It  adheres,  but  not  very 
strongly,  to  paper,  in  drying.  It  is  found  in  New 
York  Bay,  on  the  Massachusetts  coast,  and  in  Cali- 
fornia, in  the  latter  region  being  quite  common.  Mr. 
Collins  has  collected  it  at  Nahant  and  Revere  between 
tide  marks. 


64  SbA  mosses. 

Genus.—  CH^TOMORPHA*  Kiitz. 

The  plants  of  this  genus  may  be  separated  into 
two  groups,  the  straight  and  the  crooked.  The  first 
we  shall  commonly  find  growing  in  their  native  haunts, 
standing  up  straight,  stark  and  rigid.  The  others  we 
shall  find  usually  floating,  or  thrown  on  shore  among 
the  sea  weed,  a  twisted,  matted,  entangled  mass  of 
long  green  threads,  thick  or  slender,  and  as  crooked 
and  kinked  as  wool.  The  plants  of  this  genus 
consist  in  general,  of  a  single  long,  bristly,  jointed, 
unbranched,  green  thread. 

Ch.«tomorpha  melagonium,  Web.  &  Mohr. 
This  species  grows  in  rock  pools  near  low-water 
and  below.  From  a  disk-shaped  root,  on  the  rock, 
\t  rises  up  four  to  twelve  inches,  solitary,  straight,  stiff 
and  wirey,  of  a  dark  green  color,  as  its  name  signifies, 
twice  as  thick  as  a  bristle,  tapering  to  the  base,  and 
blunt  at  the  top.  Articulations  two  or  three  times 
longer  than  broad.  Common  all  along  our  rocky 
shores  north  of  Boston,  from  June  to  October. 

CiLETOMORPHA    ^REA,    DiLLW. 

This  plant  has  something  the  same  habit  as  the 
last.     It  grows   in   the  same   situations  along  the  whole 

*  Chaetomorpha  =  like  a  horse' s  mane. 


GREEA^  AL  GM.  65 

coast ;  but  more  common  south  of  Cape  Cod.  It  is 
common  in  southern  California.  It  is  but  half  the 
thickness  of  the  other,  and  is  not  nearly  so  stiff  and 
rigid,  and  grows  not  solitary,  but  in  tufts,  from  three 
to  twelve  inches  long.  The  filaments  are  considerably 
constricted  at  the  joints.  The  articulations  are  about 
as  broad  as  long.  The  color  is  yellow  green,  fading 
in  the  herbarium,  and  turning  darker.  Young  plants 
are  straight,  but  the  old  ones  are  often  bent.  It  does 
not  readily  adhere  to  paper. 

Ch^tormorpha  Olneyi,  Harv. 

Filaments  in  tufts,  about  the  size  of  the  last,  as  thick 
as  a  brisde,  straight  or  bent,  or  much  contorted ;  pale 
green ;  articulations  once  and  a  half  times  longer  than 
broad.  It  is  of  a  much  softer  substance  than  the  last, 
though  it  feels  harsh  when  dried  on  paper,  to  which  it 
adheres  firmly.  I  found  it  beyond  the  first  beach  at 
Newport,  Aug.  7,  imich  contorted,  like  C.  Picquotiana. 
It  was  named  for  Mr.  S.  T.  Olney,  of  Providence. 

Ch.^tormorpha  Picquotiana,  Mont. 

Filaments  loosely  bundled  together  in  masses;  grass 

green ;  rigid,  glossy,  twelve    inches  long  or  more,  twice 

as    thick    as    bristles,    variously    curved    and     twisted ; 

articulations    tliree    to    five     times    as    long    as    broad 

5 


66  SEA  MOSSES. 

constricted  at  the  joints.  In  drying,  the  plant  fades  a 
little,  but  keeps  its  glossy  look,  and  as  the  chlorophyl 
collects  at  the  ends  of  the  cells  it  gets  a  variegated 
appearance,  an  alternation  of  light  and  dark  points 
along  the  thread.  It  is  common  along  the  whole 
coast.  It  grows  in  deep  water  five  or  six  fathoms 
down,  and  so  must  be  sought  for  among  the  cast  up 
sea  weeds,  or  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 
Mr.  Collins  found  it  in  tide  pools,  at  Revere,  in  the 
spring,  but  it  may  be  found  all  summer.  It  does  not 
adhere  to  paper. 

Ch^tormorpha  tortuosa,  Dillw. 

You  will  find  upon  the  rocks,  or  upon  the  Algae 
growing  on  them,  mats  of  green  wool,  spread  out  or 
rolled  up.  This  is  C.  tortuosa.  Its  filaments  are  very 
fine,  finer  than  human  hair,  densely  interwoven  and 
felted  together  into  rolls,  or  spreading  mats.  It 
does  not  colapse  when  taken  from  the  water.  It  is 
common  at  Nahant,  Marblehead,  and  Nantasket,  and 
northward  in  midsummer.  My  specimens  have  adhered 
very  well   to  paper.     It  is  not  uncommon  in  California. 


K^  bi^  '^'-  j's^'s^' 


KEY    TO   THE    GENERA    OF    THE    ATLANTIC 
COAST. 


OLIVE   GREEN   ALG^. 
I.     Frond  leaf- hearing. 

Main  stem  and  branches  cylindrical,  bearing 
globular,  stalked  minute,  air  vessels,  and 
narrow,  undivided,  dotted  leaves.  General 
habit  arborescent.  "Gulf-weed."  Sargassufn. 

II.     Frond,  flat,  coriaceous  or  leathery. 
I.      With  Midrib, 
(a.)     Frond  perforated.  Agarmn. 

{p.)     Frond     entire,    stem    bearing    leaflets    or 

wings.  Alaria. 

2.      Without  Midrib. 
(«.)     Frond  thick,  leathery  and  large,  dark  olive 

green  or  brown.    "Kelp."     Limifiaria. 
{b.)      Frond  thinner  and    smaller,  light  green  or 

brown,     from     three     to     twelve     inches 

long.  Puncfaria. 

(<r.)     Frond    narrow    in    proportion    to    length, 

half-inch   wide,    eight    to    twelve    inches 

long.  Phyllitis. 

{d.)     Frond    still    narrower    and    constricted    at 

intervals.  Scytosiphon. 


68  SEA  MOSSES. 

III.  Frond  narrow,  compressed  or  flatiened. 
Frond   forked    or  branched,    thick,    tough,    one 

to  two  feet  long.     "  Rockweed."       Fucics.         P 

IV.  Frond  filiforivi  or  thread-like. 

I .     Frond   Unbranched. 
Frond    four    to    six   inches    long.      Sometimes 
inflated    and     constricted ;    always    covered 
with    minute     dark     dots.       Color,     yellow 
olive.  Asperococctts. 

Long,    ten    to   twenty   feet,    elastic,    much    at- 
tenuated at  each  end.  Chofda. 
2.     Frond  Branched, 
(a.)     Branches    mostly  simple. 
Long  in  proportion  to  main  stem,  parts  as  large     \ 

as  pack-thread.     Color  black.      C/wrdaria. 
Short     in     proportion    to    main    stem.     Color, 
olive  or  full  green.  Casiagnea. 

{b.)       Branches,  naked,  divided  and  sub-divided. 
Stem   and  branches  repeatedly  forking.     Color, 
yellowish    olive,    dotted    over    with    minute 
dark  colored  warts,  frond  six  inches  high. 

Stilophora. 
Frond     one     to     two     feet     long,     intricately 
branched;    branches  at  last  very  small. 

Diciyosiphon. 


KEY  TO  THE  GENERA.  69 

(<r.)     Branches  clothed: 

1.  With  rows  or  circles  of  closely  set,  very 
short  spines,  which  overlap  each  other, 
thus  covering  every  part  of  the  frond. 

CladostepJms. 

2.  With  ^ort,  fine,  light  olive  green,  delicate 
fibrils,  which  fall  away  and  leave  bare 
spines ;  or  with  long  darker  green  pencils 
of  hair-like  filaments.  Desmarestia. 

V.  Frond  capillary. 

I .      Uitbranched. 

Frond  small,  parasitical  on  Fuais,  tufted. 

Elachista.  /Ik. 

2.     Bra?iched. 

Frond  fine,  profusely  branched ;  from  a  yel- 
lowish to  a  bright  green;  parasitical  on 
Fuais,     Cho?da,     Chordaria     and     other  ,, 

Algse.  Ectocarpus.     V 

VI.  Frond   tuberform. 

Fronds  look  not  unlike  green  tomatoes.  , 

Leatliesia. 


(^>-«^-<tD 


KEY    TO   THE   GENERA   OF   THE   PACIFIC 
COAST.* 

I.     Frond,   leaf-bearing. 

1.  Stem  flattened,  rough,  leaves  oh  each 
edge,  air  vessels  in  the  stems  of  some  of 
the  leaves ;  plant  many  feet,  sometimes 
many  yards  long.  Phyllospora. 

2.  Plant  from  a  few  to  several  hundred 
feet  long.  Stem  cylindrical,  slender, 
branched,  leaves  on  opposite  sides  of 
the  stem.  Air  vessel  in  each  leaf  stalk. 
Root,    large,  much   branched. 

Mac7'ocystis 

3.  Stem  long,  slender,  cylindrical,  elastic, 
terminated  in  a  large  rounded  air  vessel 
which  is  crowned  with  a  large  tuft  of 
long,  slender  leaves.     Root  branched. 

Neieocystis. 

4.  Stem  short,  stout,  cylindrical,  surmounted 
at  top  with  a  large  tuft  of  deeply 
ribbed  leaves.  Postehia. 

'  Only  those  genera  whicli  hsve  species  peculiar  to  this  coast  are  included 
in  this  Key,  ail  the  rett  are  in  the  other. 


KEY  TO  THE  GENERA.  71 

n.     Frond   flat,   leathery. 

1.  Stem  long  or  short,  mostly  slender. 
Blade  thick,  leathery,  large  or  small, 
dark  olive  green  or  brown.     ''Kelp." 

Laminaria, 

2.  Stem  cylindrical,  long,  stout,  winged  on 
each  side  with  long  stalked,  leathery 
leaflets.  Blade  of  frond  thick,  long; 
midrib  at  base,  which  fades  out  towards 
the  top.  Pte,-ygophora. 

3.  Stem  short,  split,  blade  long,  covered 
with  a  net-work  of  prominent  nerves. 

r-r-r      ^.  Dictyoneurou. 

Hi.       l^ROND    FLATTENED. 

1.  Frond  narrow,  thick,  tough,  forked,  from 
three  inches  to  two  feet  long.  "  Rock- 
^^eed."  ^,,^^,^ 

2.  Frond  leafy  below,  finely  divided  and 
filiform  above.  Air  vessels  in  the  swollen 
bead-like  ultimate  branchlets.      Halidn's. 

3.  Frond  flat,  narrow,  thin,  pinnately  com- 
pounded, pinnae  and  pinnulcX  tapering 
to  top  and  bottom.  Desmarestia, 

4.  Frond  flat,  fan-shaped,  small,  marked 
with  concentric  zones  or  belts  of  darker 
color.  Zonaria. 


r2  SEA   MOSSES. 

IV.  Frond  cylindrical,  filiform. 

Frond  branched  from  leading  stem,  branches 
short,  thick  as  pack-thread.  Plant  four 
to  ten  inches  high.     Color  black. 

Cho7'da7'ia. 

V.  Frond  tuberform. 

Frond  inflated,  massed,  thin  and  soft,  yel- 
low olive,  from  one  to  three  inches 
through.  Asperococcus  sinuosus. 


e^S^^l^i^^s 


CHAPTER  III. 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^. 


Down  on  the  shore,  on  the  sunny  shore  I 

Where  the  salt  smell  cheers  the  land; 
Where  the  tide  moves  bright  under  boundless  J»^ht, 

And  the  surge  on  the  glittering  strand ; 
Where  the  children  wade  in  the  shallow  pools, 

Or  ran  from  the  path  ia  play  ; 
With  the  hushing  waves  on  its  golden  floor 

To  sing  a  tuneful  roundelay. 
Down  on  the  shore,  on  the  stormy  shore ! 

Beset  by  growling  sea, 
Whose  mad  waves  leap  on  the  rocky  steep. 

Like  wolves  up  a  traveller's  tree. 
Where  the  foam  flies  wide,  and  an  angry  blast 

Blows  the  curlew  off  with  a  screech ; 
Where  the  brown  sea-wack,  torn  up  by  the  roots, 

Is  flung  out  of  fishers'  reach  • 
Where  the  tall  ship  rolLi  on  the  hidden  shoals, 

4nd  scatter  her  planks  on  the  beach. 


^  4 


CHAPTER  III. 

Sub-class.—  MELANOSPOR^. 
Oxdex.—DJCTYOTE^. 
Gex^us.—  ZONARIA*  A^. 


ZONARIA    TOURNEFORTI  I,    LaM. 


'^1^1' ANY  plants  of  this  species  have  been  dis, 
<;^l^  tributed  under  the  name  of  Z.  flava.  It  is 
common  in  southern  CaHfornia,  as  some  species  of 
this  genus  are  in  aH  tropical  and  sub-tropical  seas. 
It  grows  from  a  short,  flattened  stem,  a  widely- 
spreading,  flat,  fan-shaped  frond,  two  to  four  inches 
high,  with  obscure  concentric  bands  of  a  darker  color 
on  the  olive  green  of  the  plant.     The  extreme  rounded 

*  Zonaria  —  belted  or  zoned. 


U  SEA  MOSSES. 

thin  edges  of  the  lobes  are  bordered  with  a  fine 
dark  line.  The  frond  is  split  down  from  the  margin 
with  clefts  running  down  quite  to  Wie  base,  or  half- 
way or  a  quarter  of  the  way,  and  the  lobes  are  more 
or  less  profusely  sprinkled  over  with  dark  colored  fruit 
dots.  It  may  be  found  throughout  the  season  at  Santa 
Barbara  and  San  Diego,  upon  small  rocks  near  low- 
tide,  or  thrown  up  by  storms  upon  the  beach. 


Qxdex.—FUCACE^. 

Genus  —  SAJ^GASSC/M*   Ag. 

This  genus  is  represented  by  but  one  species  on 
our  north  Atlantic  coast.  But  this  species  is  com- 
mon enough  along  most  of  the  shores  south  of  Cape 
Cod. 

Sargassum   Vulgare,   Ag. 

The  plant  grows  from  a  flat  disdoid  hold-fast, 
with  a  filiform  stem  as  thick  as  stout  wrapping- 
twine,  which  branches  alternately,  and  bears  on  the 
main  stem  and  branches  long  narrow  leaves,  which 
have  stalks  or  petioles,  a  well-defined  midrib  and 
toothed    edges,    and   are   marked   on   the    surta^      '^ith 

*  Sargassum,  from  Sargazo,  Spanish  fur  Sea-lentils. 


OLIVE     COLORED    ALG^.  75 

minute  dark  dots.  The  leaves  vafy  greatly  in  length 
and  breadth  and  even  in  shape,  being  from  one  to 
three  inches  long,  and  from  one-eighth  to  one-third 
of  an  inch  wide.  The  air  vessels  which  distinguish 
the  genus  are  numerous  little  globes,  one-eighth  of  an 
inch  or  more  in  diameter,  set  upon  litde  stalks  half  an 
inch  long,  which  grow  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves. 
Sometimes  from  the  appearance  of  a  sharp  tip  or 
point  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  globes,  the  stalk 
seems  to  extend  qi?ite  through  it.  The  fruit  is 
borne  in  a  many  times  branched  "twiggy,"  thick- 
ened receptacle,  which  grows  from  the  axils  of  the 
leaves.  I  have  found  this  plant  growing  common 
upon  small  stones  and  pebbles  all  along  our  south- 
ern New  England  coast,  just  below  low-tide  marks, 
usually  less  than  two  feet  long,  though  I  have  plants 
not  less  than  four  feet.  But  the  length  will  depend 
mostly  upon  the  age.  Plants  not  more  than  a  foot 
long  make  the  best  herbarium  specimens.  It  is  peren- 
nial. 


76 

Genus,— FBYLLOSPORA,''  Ag. 


Phyllospora  Menziesii,  Ag. 

This  is  a  very  common  plant,  growing  along  the 
whole  California  coast,  at  all  seasons,  upon  locks 
between  tides  and  below.  It  is  found  on  the  sea 
beach  of  the  ocean  and  Bay,  at  San  Diego,  thrown  up 
from  deep  water,  and  at  Castle  Point,  Santa  Barbara, 
in  deep  water.  From  a  branching  hold- fast,  a 
short,  round  stem  rises,  which  immediately  divides 
irregularly,  into  several  long,  flattened  strap-like 
branches,  many  feet,  sometimes  many  fathoms  long, 
from  one-quarter  to  one  inch  wide,  thickish,  rough- 
ened, or  smooth,  and  bordered  on  each  edge  with 
a  profusion  of  leaves.  The  leaves  are  wide  and 
rounded  at  top,  narrow  or  distinctly  stalked  at  bot- 
tom, varying  in  length  from  one -half  inch  to  six  or 
more  inches.  Sometimes  set  an  inch  apart,  some- 
times crowded  close  together,  and  interspersed  at 
intervals  with  large,  pear-shaped  air  vessels,  one-haVf 
to  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  these  are 
often  tipped  with  a  leaflet.  The  plant  may  be  infal- 
lably  determined  by  the  distinctive  marks  given  above. 
It  should  be  partly  dried  before  putting  in  the  press. 

*  Pliyllospora  =  Spore-bearing  leaves. 


iKiDis,   Hat: 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^.  77 

Genus.  —  HALIDR  YS*     Lyngb. 


Halidrys   osmundacea,   Harv. 

This  elegant  plant  forms  a  prominent  feature  in 
the  marine  flora  of  southern  California.  It  grows  in 
abundance  at  San  Diego,  below  tide,  and  in  the 
sluice-ways  cut  in  the  rocks  by  the  water.  It  is 
thrown  on  shore  at  all  seasons.  It  is  also  abundant 
at  Santa  Barbara,  but  absent  at  Santa  Cruz.  At  all 
events,  that  acute  observer,  Dr.  Anderson,  does  not 
report  it  as  piesent.  It  grows  from  a  discoid  hold- 
fast, a  roundish  flattened  stem,  as  thick  as  a  goose 
quill.  Flattening  more  and  more  upwards,  the  stem 
divides  or  branches,  and  puts  out  from  its  edges, 
winglets,  or  alternate  leaves,  from  one  to  two  inches 
long,  which,  like  the  flattened  stem,  are  thick  and 
midribed.  Near     the     middle    of    the     stem    these 

cease,  and  the  stem  becomes  rounded  again  and 
alternately  branched,  the  branches  also  branching 
alternately  in  nearly  the  same  plane.  The  secondary 
cylindrical  branchlets  form  the  air  vessels  of  the 
plant,  by  being  much  swollen  and  hollow,  and 
constricted  at  regular  intervals,  giving  them  an  ap- 
pearance   not   unlike   a   string   of    coarse    black   beads. 

*  Halidrys  =  Sea   Oak. 


78  SEA  MOSSES. 

The  full  grown  plant  must  be  two  or  three  feet  long, 
though  my  specimens  do  not  show  it.  It  is  olive  green 
when  fresh,  but  like  most  of  the  FucacecB  turns  black 
in  drying. 


Genus.— /^<7C^^,*  L. 

The  plants  of  this  genus  are  together  popularly 
known  as  "Rockweed."  They  constitute,  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  at  least,  more  than  one-half  of  the  mass 
of  our  littoral  Algae.  There  are  three  species  sufficiently 
common  on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  come  within  the 
scope  of  this  book,  and  one  on  the  Pacific.  The 
latter  will  be  described  first,  it  standing  thus  in  the 
natural  order. 

FUCUS    FASTIGATUS,  AG. 

This  species  seems  to  be  the  most  common  Fucm 
in  southern  California,  though  JF.  vesiculosus  grows 
there  in  abundance,  as  it  does  also  along  the  coast 
north;  and  F.  Harveyanus  is  found  as  a  rare  plant 
at  Santa  Barbara,  and  as  a  common  one  at  Mon- 
terey. Mr.  Cleveland  says  that  F.  fastigiatus  grows 
at  San  Diego  in  mats,  on  flat  rocks  left  uncovered 
by  the  ebb  tide,  at  all  seasons,  abundant. 

*  Fucus  =  Seaweed. 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^.  79 

It  has  a  cylindrical  frond  as  thick  as  a  sparrow's 
quill,  which  forks  very  near  the  base,  and  again  each 
of  the  parts  repeatedly  fork  more  and  more  remotely, 
but  less  and  less  widely,  six  or  seven  times.  The  fruit 
is  borne  in  the  thickened  terminal  branchlets.  It  grows 
to  the  height  of  three  or  four  inches.  There  are  no 
air  vessels. 

FUCUS    VESICULOSUS,    L. "ROCKWEED."         |/^ 

This  is  the  Fuais  with  little  bladders,  or  air  vessels. 
Of  the  two  Fuci  which  cover  the  rocks  and  wood-work 
of  wharves,  along  our  whole  eastern  coast,  as  far  south 
as  the  Carolinas,  the  most  plentiful  is  the  one  named 
above.  This  and  the  next,  grow  together  everywhere. 
The  plants  of  this  species  are  greatly  variable  in  size 
according  to  their  place  of  growth,  being  most  luxuriant 
where  they  have  the  tide  longest.  The  frond  varies 
from  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  one  and  one-half  inches  in 
width,  and  from  two  inches  to  two  feet  in  length.  It 
is  tough  and  leathery  in  substance,  decidedly  flat, 
with  an  evident  midrib  throughout  the  main  stem 
and  branches.  It  branches  by  forking,  and  the  axils 
of  the  divisions  are  usually  very  acute.  Each  frond 
is  commonly  provided  with  from  one  to  several  pairs 
of  oval  air  bladders,  immersed  in  the  substance  of 
the  frond,  each  side  of  the  midrib.      It  bears    its    seed 


80  SEA  MOSSES. 

vessels  in  the  extremities  of  the  branches,  which  are, 
in  that  case,  much  swollen,  and  of  a  pronounced 
yellow  color.  Cut  through  with  a  knife,  these  swollen 
receptacles  will  appear  to  consist  of  a  mass  of  hard 
geiatine,  and  the  seed  vessels  will  show  themselves  as 
bright  yellow  spots,  all  around  the  circumference.  The 
distinct  olive  green  color  of  the  fresh  plant  changes 
to  black  in  drying. 


FUCUS    NODOSUS,  L.  \/^ 


Our  next  most  common  "  Rockweed,"  is  the 
"knotty"  FuciLs,  so  called,  from  the  knots  or  swell- 
ings which  the  interior  air  vessels  make  in  the  frond. 
This  species  differs  from  the  last  in  several  impor- 
tant respects :  first,  by  having  a  very  narrow  frond, 
of  the  same  width  throughout,  one-quarter  of  an  inch 
or  more ;  second,  by  its  method  of  branching, 
which  is  not  in  regular  forks,  but  by  putting  out  side 
branches  of  various  and  irregular  lengths,  commonly 
quite  long,  from  the  sides  of  the  mairu  stem ;  third,  by 
the  presence  also  with  the  branches  of  short  (three- 
quarters  to  one  inch  long)  branchlets,  whose  wider 
ends  thicken  and  produce  the  seed  vessels  j  and  fourth, 
by  the  prominent  swellings  or  knots  in  the  stem,  and 
branches  which  give  the  species  its  name.  This  and 
the  other  Fuci  are  fastened  to  the  rock  on  which  thev 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALGM.  81 

grow  by  a  discoid  hold-fast.  The  plants  grow  between 
tides  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  long.  It  is  a  peren- 
nial, and  the  old  fronds  will  be  quite  likely  to  have 
some  species  of  Ectocarpiis  growing  on  them.  It  is 
also  the  favorite  and  almost  the  only  home  of  the 
Polysiphonia  fastigiata.  It  is  a  rich  olive  in  water, 
but  quite  black  when   dry. 

FUCUS    FURCATUS,     AG.  '. 

The  forked  Fucus  resembles  the  F.  vesiculosus  in 
its  general  habit  of  growth,  but  differs  from  it  in 
several  particulars,  viz.,  in  having  a  somewhat  wider, 
shorter  and  more  constantly  typical  frond,  in  having 
no  air  bladders,  and  in  having  the  terminal  forks 
which  bear  the  seed  vessels  much  longer,  more 
pointed,  and  less  swollen,  being  two  and  sometimes 
three  inches  long.  The  whole  plant  is  a  foot  or 
more  in  length,  and  grows  just  down  at  the  extreme 
low-water  mark.  It  may  be  most  easily  found  and 
collected,  during  the  time  of  "spring  tides,"  at  new 
or  full  moon.  It  is  common  on  the  rocks  at  Nahant, 
Marblehead,  and  northward.  The  microscopist  dis- 
tinguishes this  species  from  F.  vesiculosus  by  a  differ- 
ence in  the  contents  of  the  seed  vessels.  There  are 
two  other  species  of  Fucus  recognized  in  our  north 
eastern   flora.      F.    ccranoidcs   at    Marblehead.    and   F. 


82  SEA  MOSSES. 

serrafiis  at  Newburyport ;  but  their  rarity  makes  it 
undesirable  to  describe  them  in  a  work  intended  only 
as  a  popular  introduction  to  the  more  common  forms 
of  our  marine  flora. 


Order.—  PH^  OSPORE^E. 
Sub-order.—  LAMINARIE^. 
Ge\M\s.—  MACROCYSTIS*  Ag. 


Macrocystis   pyRiFER--\,  Ag. 

This  is  the  giant  among  sea  weeds.  Indeed,  it 
attains  a  length  unknown  in  any  other  vegetable  form 
upon  the  globe.  Were  it  not  to  question  the  testi- 
mony of  careful  observers,  I  should  be  much  inclined 
to  doubt  some  of  the  stories  told  about  this  remarkable 
plant.  Dr.  Hooker  says  it  attains  a  length  of  700 
feet,  and  Bory  St.  Vincent  declares  it  is  sometimes 
found  1,500  feet  long.  Mrs.  Bingham,  of  Santa 
Barbara,  writes  me  that  it  is  frequendy  thrown  on 
shore  there,  100  feet  long.  Mr.  Cleveland,  who  has 
been  at  great  pains  and  trouble  to  get  me  exact 
data   as   well   as   typical   specimens    of    this    plant,    ha3 

*  INIacrocystis  =  With  large  bladders. 


OLIVE    COLORED   ALG^^.  83 

seen  it  200  feet  long  at  San  Diego.  The  account 
which  I  give  is  from  their  notes.  The  hold-fast  for 
these  larger  plants  is  a  great  mass  of  branching  roots, 
"  as  large  as  a  bushel  basket,"  sometimes  three  feet 
broad,  and  a  foot  thick,  which  cling  to  the  rocks  and 
boulders  with  great  tenacity.  One  or  more  stems,  from 
a  half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  diameter  rise  from 
this,  putting  out  leaves  on  either  side  alternately,  a 
foot  apart  at  the  base,  gradually  growing  nearer  toward 
the  end  of  the  stem.  The  leaves,  in  the  largest  plants, 
are  from  two  to  four  feet  long,  and  three  or  four 
inches  wide,  stalked,  and  the  stalk  swollen  into  a  pear- 
shaped  air  vessel,  sometimes  an  inch  and  a  half  long, 
and  an  inch  thick.  The  leaves  are  thin,  peculiarly 
wrinkled,  of  a  fine  olive  color,  and  along  both  edges 
bordered  with  sharp,  spine -like  teeth,  which  point 
forward.  These  plants  grow  in  waiter,  fifty  feet  deep 
or  more,  in  vast  forests,  coming  to  the  surface 
and  then  stretching  their  leafy  fronds  far  out,  prone 
upon  the  sea.  In  this  way,  great  fields  of  them, 
sometimes  a  mile  wide  and  several  miles  long,  are 
formed,  especially  near  bays,  as  at  San  Luis  Obespo, 
Santa  Barbara,  San  Pedro,  and  San  Diego.  The 
stem  terminates  in  a  leaf-Hke  expansion,  and  the 
growth  goes  forward  in  a  very  curious  fashion,  by  the 
constant   splitting   off  of  the    side  of  this  terminal  leaf. 


84  SEA  MOSSES. 

The  splitting  is  a  natural  process,  and  as  it  proceeds, 
the  petiole  and  the  air  vessel  are  successively  developed, 
so  that  when  the  tip  of  the  leaflet,  finally  parts  from 
the  parent  leaf,  it  will  be  fully  fonned,  though  not  full 
grown.  At  the  same  time  there  will  be  lying  inside 
of  this  four  or  five  other  leaflets,  in  various  stages  of 
growth,  from  the  most  rudimentary,  to  the  almost  fully 
formed.  I  suppose  this  must  be  considered  the  most 
remarkable  feature  of  the  marine  flora  of  the  Pacific 
coast,  though  it  is  by  no  means  the  only  wonderful 
plant  that   makes  its  home  in  those  waters. 


Genus.—  JVB/^EOCVST/S*  Post.   &>  Rupr. 


Nereocystis  Lutkeana,  Post.  &  Rupr. 

Next  to  the  Macrocystis,  the  Nereocystis  is  the 
most  remarkable  and  wonderful  plant  of  the  Pacific 
waters.  To  quote  Harvey,  "  The  Nereocystis  of  the 
North  West  coast,  is  said,  when  fully  grown,  to  have 
a  stem  measuring  300  feet  in  length,  which  bears  at 
its  summit  a  huge  air  vessel,  six  or  eight  feet  long, 
shaped  like  a  great  cask,  and  ending  in  a  tuft  of 
upwards   of  fifty   forked    leaves,  each  of  which  is  from 

*  Nereocystis  —  Sea-bladdef, 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^E.  85 

thirty  to  forty  feet  in  length.  The  cask-Hke  air  vessel 
which  may  be  eight  inches  or  more  in  diameter,  buoys 
up  this  immense    frond,  which   hke    Milton's    hero,   lies 

'  Prone  on  the  flood  extended  long  and  large, 
Floating  many  a  rood.' 

Here  the  Sea  Otter  has  his  favorite  lair,  resting 
himself  on  the  vesicle,  or  hiding  among  the  leaves 
while  he  pursues  his  fishing.  The  stem  which  anchors 
this  floating  mass  of  fronds  is  of  considerable  length 
and  elasticity,  though  it  is  no  larger  than  a  whip  cord. 
It  is  employed  as  a  fishing  line  by  the  rude  natives 
of  the  coast." 

Dr.  Anderson,  of  Santa  Cruz,  was  kind  enough 
to  send  me  a  small  typical  specimen,  sufficiently 
large  to  show  all  the  characteristic  points  in  the 
form  and  growth  of  the  younger  plants.  Starting 
from  a  many-pronged  hold-fast,  like  that  of  the 
Laminaria,  is  a  slender  stem  not  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  For  two  yards  it 
keeps  this  size,  when  it  begins  to  expand.  For  the 
space  of  another  yard  it  gradually  increases  in  size, 
and  is  evidently  hollow,  till  at  the  end  it  has  at- 
tained a  diameter  of  one  and  a  quarter  inches, 
when  dry;  it  probably  was  something  more  than  that 
In  the  water.  Then  it  is  immediately  and  suddenly 
irawn   in,   or   constricted,   and    forms    a   narrow   neck^ 


86  SEA  MOSSES. 

not  more  than  three-quarters  of  an  inch  through, 
and  then  as  suddenly  expands  into  a  large,  egg- 
shaped  vesicle,  the  narrow  end  of  the  egg  being 
next  to  the  neck,  and  the  wide  end  crowned  with 
two  tufts  of  long,  narrow  leaves.  The  dimensions 
of  the  oviform  part  of  the  air  vessel  are,  in  the 
long  diameter  two  and  three-quarters  inches,  and  in 
the  short  two  and  a  quarter  inches.  The  leaves  are 
from  one-half  a  yard  to  a  yard  long  and  from  half 
an  inch  to  one  inch  wide,  many  of  them  with  thick 
brown   patches    of  spores    upon   them. 

Mr.  Cleveland  has  had  the  kindness  to  send  me 
parts  of  a  plant  and  drawings  of  the  whole,  which 
enables  me  to  add  a  point  to  the  history  of  this 
curious  genus,  that  I  think  will  be  interesting  to 
collectors.  This  form  differs  from  the  one  already 
described,  by  the  air  vessel  bearing  upon  its  apex 
a  single  large  forking  petiole,  whose  two  arms  spread 
out  on  each  side  and  branch,  like  the  anders  of  a 
deer;  each  short  "prong"  bearing,  at  the  end,  a 
broad,  long  leaf.  In  a  plant  whose  air  vessel  measures 
5  2  inches  in  diameter,  the  flattened  petiole  at  base 
was  two  inches  broad,  and  the  two  "  horns  "  into  which 
it  immediately  divided,  were  i  4  inches  broad  and  eight 
feet  long.  These  gave  out  branches  upon  the  inside  at 
intervals  of  about  a  foot,  which  branches,  at  a  distance 


DAS^- 


A    T''TV<;ax-' 


PLATE 


OLIVE    COLORED   ALG^.  87 

from  their  base  of  a  foot  or  so,  forked,  and  bore 
on  each  part  a  long,  broad  tongue-shaped  leaf,  two 
or  three  feet  long,  and  as  many  inches  broad. 

Prof.  Eaton  has  kindly  sent  me  a  copy  of  Areschoug's 
description  (in  Botaniska  Notiser  for  May  15,  1876), 
of  what  he,  with  some  hesitation,  names  a  new  species : 
N.  gigantea,  which  answers  very  well  to  Mr.  Cleveland's 
plant.  It  would  seem  to  be  an  easy  matter  for  our 
California  botanists  to  settle  the  question  of  whether 
or  not  these  two  extreme  forms  are  always  distinct, 
or  insensibly  pass  into  each  other,  in  a  large  group 
of  specimens ;  or  whether  the  iirst  is  but  the 
young  of  which  the  last  is  the  mature  form,  as  some 
botanists  seem  to  think.  Mr.  Cleveland  assures  me 
that   the    last   described  form  is  quite   constant. 

It  is  a  very  common  plant,  growing  in  deep  water, 
all  along  the  west  coast,  at  all  seasons,  and  is  flung 
on  shore  in  great  quantities  by  the  storms. 


G^enus.—  FOSTELSIA,  Rupr. 


POSTELSIA*    PALM/EFORMIS,t  RUPR. 

This   species   is    quite    common   on   the    west   coast 

*  Postelsia,  named  for  A.  Postels,  a  fellow-botanist  with  Ruprecht. 
t   T>alniaeforniis  =  Paln)-='-'='ned. 


88  SEA   MOSSES. 

from  Santa  Cmz  northward.  I  have  seen  but  one 
spechnen  of  this  curious  and  interesting  plant,  and 
that  was  kindly  sent  me  by  Dr.  Anderson.  It  is  a 
small  but  apparently  a  typical  one.  The  excellent 
figure  and  description  given  by  Ruprechf  leaves  noth- 
ino:  in  that  line  to  be  desired.  The  main  stem  is 
many  pronged  at  the  base,  hollow,  about  half  an 
inch  thick,  which  size  is  uniform,  except  that  it  tapers 
a  little  near  the  top,  and  about  a  foot  long.  It  is 
crowned  with  a  cluster  of  stalked  leaves  a  foot  or 
more  long,  an  inch  or  so  wide  at  the  middle,  tapering 
to  a  point  at  the  top,  and  set  in  pairs  upon  the  long 
forked  petiole.  The  leaves  are  curiously  ribbed  or 
"  fluted "  lengthwise,  the  higher  ribs  being  in  the 
middle.  An  examination  shows  that  the  depressions 
on  one  side  correspond  to  the  elevations  on  the  other 
side  of  the  leaf.  It  is  found  at  all  seasons  on  exposed 
points,  growing  upon   the  rocks. 


Q^Qx\\x%.^ PTERYGOPHORA*   Riipr. 


Pterygophora  californica,  Rupr. 

For  a  fine    plant  of  this  species  I  am  also  indebt-ed 
to    the    liberality    of    Dr.    Anderson,    and    for    a    full 

*  Pterygophora  =  Wing-bearing. 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^.  89 

account  of  its  habits  to  the  celebrated  botanist  who 
has  done  so  much  to  illustrate  the  marine  flora  of 
the  North  Pacific,  Dr.  Ruprecht. 

This  plant  more  nearly  approaches  the  Alaria  than 
any  other  of  the  LaminariecE.  Fastened  to  the  rock 
by  a  multitude  of  prongs  which  radiate  from  the  base 
of  the  stem,  the  stem  itself  rises  two  or  three  feet, 
half  an  inch  thick,  mostly  quite  cyhndrical,  but  flattened 
near  the  top,  where  it  gives  off  the  characteristic  ''  wings  " 
on  each  side.  The  "  blade,"  or  the  main  leaf,  is  two 
feet  or  more  long,  three  inches  broad  in  the  widest 
part,  frayed  out  at  the  top,  and  thickened  through 
the  whole  length  in  the  middle  with  a  midrib,  which 
is  apparently  a  continuation  of  the  stem.  This  mid- 
rib has  not  the  deflnite  outline  which  it  has  in  the 
Alaria,  but  is  only  a  thickening  of  the  middle  of 
the  leaf  which  vanishes  imperceptibly  towards  the 
edges  and  the  top.  The  ''  wings "  are  stalked,  not 
crowded  close  together  as  in  the  Alaria,  but  set  in 
pairs,  some  distance  apart,  along  the  opposite  sides 
of  the  main  stem,  four  or  five  or  more  pairs  of  them, 
from  one  to  two  feet  long,  and  from  one  to  one  and 
one-half  inches  broad,  with  no  trace  of  a  midrib. 
Mr.  Cleveland  reports  this  plant  common  from  February 
to  May,  growing  in  deep  water,  along  the  coast  as  far 
south   as   San    Diego.      Dr.    Anderson   finds    it    among 


90  SEA  MOSSES. 

the  commonest  plants  growing  with  the  other 
LaminariecB  throughout  the  season  at  Santa  Cruz, 
CaHfomia. 


Genus.—ALARIA*    Grev. 


Alaria    esculenta,  Grev. 

The  edible  Alaria  grows  upon  submerged  rocks 
just  below  tide.  It  is  a  plant  whose  peculiar  aspect 
makes  it  very  easy  of  recognition  and  quite  impos- 
sible to  confound  with  any  other.  Unlike  any 
other  of  the  "  Kelps,"  except  the  Agarum  it  has  a 
stout  midrib  running  the  whole  length  of  the  plant. 
This  together  with  the  little  cluster  of  ribless  leaflets 
or  wings,  barne  on  each  side  of  the  stem,  just 
below  the  blade,  makes  the  plant  absolutely  distinct. 
These  leaflets  bear  the  spores  or  fruit,  and  are 
always  present  except  on  young  plants.  The  plant 
makes  its  anchorage  upon  the  rock  by  the  same 
means  as  the  Laminariece.  generally.  The  stem 
is  from  three  inches  to  a  foot  long,  cyHndrical.  The 
blade  consists  of  a  thin  wavy,  or  ruffled  olive 
colored    membrane,    from    one    to    four    inches    wide, 

*  Alaria  =  wins'<=d. 


POLVSIPHOXIA     VIOLACKA,      GreZ- 


OLIVE     COLORED    ALG^E.  91 

developed  on  each  side  of  the  thick  midrib.  It 
is  of  a  delicate,  tender  texture,  which  easily  tears, 
and  then  always  in  the  same  definite  oblique  direction 
toward  the  midrib.  The  ends  of  the  old  plants  are 
usually  frayed  out,  the  midrib  protruding  beyond 
the  rest  of  the  blade  with  the  ''rags  and  tatters"  of 
the  thin  membrane  hanging  to  it.  The  young  plants, 
when  not  more  than  six  or  eight  inches  high,  make 
veiy  beautiful  specimens,  if  neatly  mounted.  They 
are  of  a  very  delicate  green  color,  and  adhere  well 
to  paper,  as,  indeed,  do  my  full  grown  plants.  The 
species  is  said  to  grow  twenty  feet  or  more  in  length 
in  some  places.  I  have  never  found  it  over  five  or 
six.  On  the  outside  of  Ram  Island,  off  the  Marble- 
head  shore,  in  midsummer,  I  found  the  rocks  literally 
covered  with  these  interesting  plants;  and  as  they 
hung  out  over  the  edge  of  the  submerged  cHffs,  and 
waved  their  long,  delicate  olive  streamers  in  the  green 
rolling  waters,  they  certainly  presented  a  bit  of  sub- 
marine scenery,  well  worth  the  trouble  to  find  and 
look  at.  Turner  says  that  in  his  day,  the  midribs  of 
this  plant  stripped  of  the  membrane,  and  the  thickened, 
fruit  laden  leaflets,  were  brought  to  market  and  sold 
in  Scodand,  to  eat,  and  were  said  to  be  sweet  to  the 
taste.  They  are  popularly  called  "  Daber  Locks."  Mrs. 
Bray   finds   it   at    Kittle    Island   and  Magnolia  on  Cape 


92  SEA  MOSSES. 

Ann,    growing   sometimes   in    tide   pools.     It   need   not 
be  looked  for  south  of  Cape  Cod. 


Geuus.—VICTVONBC/J^ON*  Rupr. 


DiCTYONEURON  CaLIFORNICUM,  RuPR. 

This  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  interesting 
plants  of  this  group.  It  was  first  brought  from 
the  coast  of  California,  in  1840,  by  Wosnessenski, 
a  Rlissian  navigator,  and  described  by  Ruprecht. 
In  addition  to  his  excellent  figure  and  full  text, 
I  have  several  specimens  kindly  sent  me  by  Dr.  An- 
derson, as  a  guide  in  giving  an  account  of  the 
plant.  The  one  before  me  is  about  thirty  inches  long 
and  two  and  three-fourths  inches  wide  in  the  widest 
place,  tapering  somewhat  toward  the  broken  top,  and 
rapidly  to  the  stem  below.  The  frond  has  a  tendency 
to  bend  in  the  direction  of  one  edge  like  a  sabre 
blade.  Its  distinguishing  mark  consists,  however,  in 
the  fact  that  both  surfaces  of  the  frond  are  woven 
over  with  a  net-work  of  prominent  veins  and  ribs, 
some  of  which  run  in  a  general  direction,  parallel 
with   the    edges    of  the   frond,  and  others  not  so  thick 

*  Dictyoneuron  =  Netted  nerves. 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^.  03 

or  prominent,  connect  these  in  an  irregular  way,  so 
that  the  "meshes"  are  of  very  indefinite  size  and 
shape.  The  hold-fast  is  a  small  bunch  of  branching 
roots,  and  the  stem,  which  is  flat,  almost  immediately 
expands  into  the  blade.  In  most  of  the  fronds, 
especially  the  older  ones,  the  stem  is  split  into  halves, 
the  split  extending  sometimes  several  inches  into 
the  blade  of  the  frond.  This  splitting  is  a  natural 
process,  and  not  accidental.  No  collector  of  California 
Algae  ought  to  miss  this  curious  and  quite  unique 
species.  It  may  be  found  at  Santa  Cruz  and  north- 
ward, from  June  to"  November,  among  the  other 
Laminariece. 


Q^Qxwxz.—  LAMINARIA*    Lam. 

The  larger  plants  of  this  genus  bear  collectively 
several  popular  names,  as  ''  Kelp,"  '^  Oar  Weed," 
"  Devil's  Aprons,"  etc.  They  are  the  largest  Algae 
belonging  to  the  flora  of  our  Atlantic  coast.  The  three 
most  common  species  to  be  named  below,  from  that 
flora,  may  be  easily  distinguished  from  each  other  by 
well  marked  specific  differences. 

They    are    all    deep   water   plants,    and   while    they 

Laminaria  =  A  leaf. 


94  SEA  MOSSES. 

would  not  be  chosen  for  their  beauty  in  the  herbarium, 
they  are  certainly  in  the  water,  extremely  graceful  and 
interesting  forms.  They  are  all  perennial.  The  method 
of  drying,  pressing  and  mounting  them,  has  already 
been  given  in  the  Introductory  Chapter. 

Laminaria  saccarhina.  Lam.    V 

This  species  is  so  named  for  the  supposed 
sweet  taste  of  the  frond,  a  quality  which  I 
confess  has  thus  far  quite  eluded  my  powers  of 
detection.  It  is  distinguished  from  the  next  species 
to  be  named,  by  its  short  stem,  and  its  narrower 
frond.  The  stem  is  not  more  than  four  to  eight  inches 
long,  and  from  one-third  to  one-half  an  inch  thick.  The 
stem  terminates  below  in  a  conical  mass  of  stout,  root- 
like prongs,  which  constitute  the  hold-fast.  These 
are  firmly  glued  to  whatever  the  plant  grows  upon, 
as  shells,  rocks,  stones,  etc.,  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
If  you  try  to  remove  one  of  these  large  plants  from 
its  native  anchorage,  you  will  find  that  it  holds  very 
fast.  The  short  stem  expands  upward  abruptly,  into 
a  wide,  thick,  leathery,  smooth,  dark  olive  colored 
blade,  eight  to  twelve  inches  wide,  and  six  to  eight 
feet  long.  It  is  usually  wavy  or  ruffled  at  the  edges. 
A  narrow  and  very  beautiful  variety  of  this  species  grows 
along  the   shore  at   Newport,   over  by  the  beaches.     It 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^.  95 

is  not  more  than  three  or  four  inches  wide,  but  at 
least  two  yards  long.  The  frond  is  very  smooth  and 
glossy,  and  exquisitely  ruffled,  so  that  as  it  rises  and 
falls  with  the  undulating  waters,  like  a  streamer  in  the 
upper  air,  it  is,  indeed,  in  form  and  motion,  a  thing 
jf  rare  grace.  These  plants  lose  most  of  their  beauty 
(vhen  dried  and  made  ready  for  the  herbarium.  But 
ui  the  water  they  are  most  wonderfully  fine.  I  want 
to  say  a  word  for  them  because  I  know  they  are  com- 
monly either  passed  by  without  notice  or  countenence, 
and  rejected  for  their  imputed  ugliness.  But  you  want 
to  see  them  at  home  if  you  would  appreciate  what 
they  may  be  under  favoring  conditions.  To  those 
who  make  their  summer  home  on  Cape  Ann,  and 
desire  to  see  the  wider  forms  of  this  species,  as  they 
display  themselves  at  their  best,  I  would  suggest  that 
you  go  along  the  rocky  shore  south  of  the  village  of 
Rockport,  out  towards  the  Light  House.  As  you  come 
near  the  end  of  the  land,  you  will  find  many  large 
and  deep  tide  pools,  where  these  plants  grow  to  per- 
fection. There,  as  they  bend  with  their  wavy  fronds 
in  long,  graceful  curves,  over-arching  the  smaller  Alg^e, 
which  carpet  the  bottom,  and  decorate  the  sides  of 
the  pool;  their  own  rich  olive  brown  color  setting  off 
the  brilliant  reds  and  the  bright  greens  of  the  other 
plants;    they   do,    indeed,    help    to    make    a   picture    of 


96  SEA  MOSSES. 

exquisite  beauty.  This  plant  is  very  common  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  north  of  New  York  city,  also  on  the 
Pacific. 

Laminaria  longicruris,  de  la  Pyl.  v^ 

The  long  stemed  Laminaria  is  a  plant  which  in  our 
New  England  waters  grows  to  about  the  size  of  L. 
saccarhina,  except  as  to  the  stem  which  is  usually 
quite  as  long  as  the  blade  of  the  plant.  The  whole, 
therefore,  is  from  twelve  to  sixteen  feet  long,  and  I 
have  found  it  at  Marblehead  eighteen  to  twenty  feet 
long,  the  blade  twelve  to  sixteen  inches  wide.  Harvey 
says  he  found  plants  at  Halifax,  whose  blade  was  two 
to  three  feet  wide.  The  hold-fast,  as  in  the  last  species, 
is  composed  of  a  number  of  stout  roots,  put  out  by 
the  stem  at  the  bottom.  The  stem  is  very  slender 
and  solid  at  that  point,  but  toward  the  middle  swells 
to  the  diameter  of  an  inch  or  more,  and  become 
hollow.  It  tapers  also  toward  the  blade  to  a  diam- 
eter of  half  an  inch.  Altogether,  the  stem  will  be 
found  from  six  to  ten  feet  long  in  the  full  grown  plant 
The  blade  is  much  the  shape  and  color  of  the  wide 
forms  of  Z.  saccarhina.  It  grows  in  deeper  water 
than  that  species,  and  may  be  found  in  from  five  to 
ten  fathoms  or  more.  It  is  very  abundant  from  Green- 
land to  Cape  Cod,  and  in  she  North  Pacific 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALGJE.  97 

Laminaria  flexicaulis,  Le  Jolis. 

This  is  the  Z.  digitata  in  part,  of  Harvey's  "Nereis." 
The  holdfast  and  stem  are  much  the  same  as  in  L. 
saccarhina,  except  in  the  more  variable  length  of  the 
stem.  But  the  blade  is  much  wider  and  is  split  from 
top  to  bottom  into  several  long,  strap-shaped  segments 
from  one  to  three  inches  wide.  The  whole  blade 
may  be  from  one  to  three  feet  wide,  and  from  three 
to  five  feet  long.  It  grows  in  deep  tide  pools,  imd 
in  the  sea,  from  just  below  low- water  mark  to  consider- 
able depths.  This,  like  the  other  species  of  La^ni- 
naria,  puts  forth  its  new,  yearly  growth  in  the  winter 
and  early  spring,  in  a  most  curious  way,  which  I 
will  now  describe. 

The  new  blade  grows  forth  from  the  top  of  the 
old  stem  and  interposes  itself  between  the  old  stem 
and  the  old  blade.  It  carries  the  old  blade  on  its 
top,  till  it  has  grown  to  nearly  its  full  size,  when 
by  a  process  of  natural  decay,  the  old  blade  is  sep- 
arated from  the  new,  and  falls  away,  in  the  month 
of  May,  and  is  washed  ashore,  in  great  numbers. 
The  process  has  a  very  curious  phase  in  this  species. 
It  is  seen  that  the  new  frond  splits  down  by  a  nat- 
ural process  some  time  before  the  old  blade  is  cast 
off,  the  old  blade,  meanwhile,  holding  the  tips  of 
the    straps    together   at    the    top,   while   they  are    quite 


98  SEA  MOSSES. 

parted  asunder  lower  down.  One  by  one  the  straps 
from  the  margin  inv/ards  are  pulled  away  from  the 
old  blade,  till  at  last  it  is  held  by  but  two  or  three 
central  ones.  These  part  at  last,  and  the  old  frond 
falls  like    an   autumn    leaf 

"  Because   its   time  to  die  has  come." 

Those  who  live  by  the  sea  the  year  around  may 
be  interested  to  watch  this  curious  process  of  "shed- 
ding the  leaf,"  in  this  species.  It  was  first  described 
many  years  ago,  by  that  most  pains-taking  and  sharp- 
eyed  naturalist,  Dawson  Turner.  This  species  is  not 
common,  if  it  is  found  at  all,  south  of  Cape  Cod ; 
north  of  that  it  is  plenty  enough. 

Laminaria   Andersonii,   Eaton. 

I  have  three  copies  of  this  plant,  sent  me  a  few 
years  ago  by  Dr.  Anderson  himself,  and  for  want  of 
»  a  prmted  description  by  the  author,  will  give  a  de- 
scription of  one  of  these.  This  specimen  is  about 
one  yard  long.  The  lower  half  is  a  stem  with  the 
usual  branching  hold-fast.  The  stem  is  cyHndrical,  of 
uniform  size,  one-sixth  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  It 
suddenly  expands  into  the  blade  of  the  frond  which 
IS  about  an  inch  wide,  and,  of  course,  half  a  yard 
long,    sides   parallel   except  where    it    narrows  into  the 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^.  99 

stem,   broken    off    or    "  frayed    out "    at   the    top.  It 

is   reported    at    Santa    Cruz,    California,  only,  where  it 
grows  on  rocks  with  Pterygophora. 


Genus.—  AGARUM*   Bory,      V^ 


AgARUM    TURNERI,    PoST.    AND    RUPR. 

This  plant  differs  frSm  the  Laminarice  among 
which  it  grows,  by  its  shorter  stem,  its  thinner  blade, 
its  stout  midrib  running  through  the  whole  frond, 
and,  most  of  all,  by  the  fact  that  it  is  perforated 
throughout  with  holes  of  various  sizes.  This  gives 
it  its  popular  name  of  "  Sea  Colandar."  It  grows 
in  deep  water,  holds  to  the  rocks  by  a  number  of 
root  fibres,  has  a  stem  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  three  to  twelve  inches  long  which  expands 
somewhat  as  it  enters  the  blade,  forming  a  substan- 
tial midrib.  This  blade  is  usually  a  foot  wide,  often 
more,  and  from  one  to  three  yards  long,  though 
you  will  often  find  it  no  more  than  a  foot  or  half 
a  yard  long.  It  has  a  rather  more  pronounced 
green  color  than  the  Laminaricr,  and,  as  before 
remarked,  is  of  thinner  substance.     It  is  very  abundant 

*  Agarum  =  A  fungus  or  mushroom. 


too  SEA  MOSSES. 

from  Cape  Cod  to  Greenland,  and  is  to  be  looked 
for  among  the  "  Kelp,"  and  other  sea- weed  thrown 
up  from  deep  water.  It  will  be  known  at  sight  by  the 
frond  being  full  of  holes.  It  is  dried  and  mounted 
in  the  same  way  as  the  LaminaricE, 


Sub-Order  —SPOROCHNEM, 
Genus— STILOPHORA*-   Ag. 

There  are  three  species  of  this  genus  set  down 
in  the  books,  as  belonging  to  our  flora.  Only  one 
of  them  is  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  me  in 
making  mention  of  it  here. 

StILOPHORA    RHIZODES,t     AG. 

Is  a  plant  interesting  alike  to  the  botanist  and 
the  microscopist  j  for,  if  you  take  its  wart-like  mass 
of  spores  and  filaments,  and  cut  a  thin  section  of  it, 
and  mount  it  for  the  microscope,  you  will  find  you 
have  a  beautiful  object. 

It  is  a  filiform  plant,  with  stem  and  branches 
once  or  twice  as  thick  as  a  bristle.  It  is  much 
branched  by  irregular  forkings,  six  or  seven  times 
repeated,  the  extreme  ends  short  and  widely  spread- 
ing.     It    grows    four    to    six    inches    high,    and  is    of 

*  Stilophora  =  Dot-bearing. 
t  Rhizodes  =  Root-like. 


OLIVE     COLORED    ALG.^E.  101 

an  olive  green  color  with  a  yellowish  tendency,  which 
is  even  more  pronounced  in  the  dried  than  in  the 
living  plant.  Its  unmistakable  mark  is  the  little 
wart-like  protuberances  which  are  thickly  scattered 
over  all  the  stems  and  branches,  making  it  deci- 
dedly rough  to  the  sense  of  both  sight  and  touch. 
It  is  found  on  our  coast  south  of  Cape  Cod  only ; 
not  very  common  in  most  places,  but  at  Orient,  L.  I., 
in  Peconic  Bay,  Miss  Booth  reports  it  growing  in 
unUmited  quantities,  in  July  and  August. 


Syih-Oxdex.—  ASPEROCOCCE^. 
Genus.—  ASPEROCOCCUS*   Lam. 

There  are  two  species  of  this  genus  on  our 
eastern  coast  and  one  in  California.  Only  one  is 
common  with  us  here ;  the  other,  therefore,  A. 
compressus,  which  has  been  reported  only  at  Glou- 
cester, will  not  be  described. 

ASPEROCOCCUS     ECHINATUS,t    GrEV. 

Fiond  flat  or  inflated,  from  three  inches  to  one 
or  two  feet  long,  and  from  one-eighth  to  half  an 
inch  wide ;  blunt  at  the  apex,  and  attenuated  toward 
the   base.      It   may   be   known  by   its  light   olive  color 

*  Asperococcus  =  Rough-seeded, 
t  Echinatus  =  Prickly. 


102  SEA  MOSSES. 

and  by  being  covered  all  over  on  both  sides  with 
minute,  oblong  dots  of  a  darker  shade,  which  are 
masses  of  spores.  This  roughening  of  the  surface  by 
these  spore  masses,  gives  the  plant  both  its  generic 
and  specific  name.  It  is  a  summer  annual  and 
grows  on  the  rocks,  in  pools  between  tides.  Mr. 
ColHns  has  collected  it  at  Revere  and  Nantasket, 
from  June  to  August;  Mrs.  Davis,  at  Gloucester  in 
the  spring.  I  have  found  it  in  the  summer  at 
Marblehead,  but  not  very  common. 

ASPEROCOCCUS    SINUOSUS,     BORY. 

This  plant  much  resembles  our  Leathesia  tuber- 
forniis  in  outline  and  habit  of  growth,  though  it  is 
much  thinner  in  substance,  and  grows  in  much 
larger  clusters.  Harvey  says  each  individual  frond  is 
globose,  one  or  two  inches  in  diameter  or  larger, 
becoming  much  inflated  and  irregular  in  outUne  as 
it  advances  in  age,  and  is  thus  often  ruptured  and 
pierced  here  and  there  with  holes  of  irregular  shape 
and  size.  The  frond  is  membranous,  thin,  soft,  but 
not  very  tender;  color,  a  brownish  olive.  It  may 
be  found  common  all  along  the  California  coast,  at 
all  seasons,  growing.  Dr.  Anderson  says,  on  tips  of 
Halidrys.  Mrs.  Bingham  finds  it  growing  on  small 
rocks   and   other  Algae    at    mid-tide.     Dr.   Dinnick   on 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^S.  103 

A?nphiroa.      Mr.  Cleveland,  in   bunches,   on   flat   rocks 
between  tides,  and  washed  ashore  on  the  beach. 


Sub-order.—  CHORDARIE^, 
Genus.^  CHORDA*   Lam. 


Chorda   ^ilum,    Stack. 

The  thread-like  cords,  which  are  sometimes  pop- 
ularly called  ''Dead  men's  lines,"  and  sometimes 
"  Mermaids'  fish-lines,"  are  plants  very  easily  described 
and  very  easily  recognized.  The  frond  of  C  filum  is 
a  single  undivided  cord  rising  from  a  discoid  hold-fast, 
by  which  it  is  attached  to  some  small  pebble  or  shell 
upon  the  sea  bottom.  At  first,  a  mere  thread,  it  in- 
creases in  size  till  it  is  as  large  as  a  pipe-stem,  or 
larger,  then  again  tapers  to  a  long,  slender-pointed 
termination.  When  young,  it  is  covered  all  about 
with  short,  fine,  olive-colored  hairs,  which  disappear  in 
age.  It  loves  quiet  waters  and  grows  to  the  height  of 
ten,  twenty,  and  even  forty  feet,  according  to  favorable 
conditions.  It  is  quite  tough  and  somewhat  elastic 
when  recent.  It  is  a  favorite  habitat  of  some  of  the 
smaller   Algae,    like    some    species    of    the    Ectocarpus, 

*  Chorda  =  A  cord. 


104  SEA    MOSS£S. 

Call>.tha77inion  etc.  The  Cyclopoedia  Britannica  mentions 
the  fact  that  it  is  distributed  in  beds  through  the  North 
Sea  and  British  Channel,  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  long, 
and  yet  not  more  than  600  feet  wide.  It  is  common 
along  all  our  shores,  from  New  York  northward.  It 
grows,  of  course,  in  deep  v/ater.  Its  fronds  reach 
up,  at  least,  to  the  surface.  The  old  fronds  should 
be  allowed  to  dry  off  a  little  before  mounting,  but 
the  young  ones,  covered  with  hairs,  may  be  floated 
out  in  water.  The  long  plants  are  best  disposed  of 
by  coiling  up  neatly  on  the  sheet  of  mounting  paper, 
and  drying  in  the  usual  way,  under  pressure.  They 
seem  to  adhere  well. 


Genus.—  CHORDARIA*  Ag. 


Chordaria   flagelliformis,   Ag. 

The  whiplash  Chordaria  is  found  in  bewildering 
abundance  along  our  whole  coast.  It  may  be  known 
by  its  very  dark  brown  or  quite  black  color,  both 
in  the  water  and  on  paper ;  and  by  its  long,  slender, 
naked,  mostly  undivided  branches,  which  sweep  off 
from   all   sides,    and,    in    not    ungraceful    curves,    over- 

*  Chordaria  ==  Cord-like. 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^B.  105 

arch     the     top     of     the     frond.      Neither    stem     nor 
branches    are    ever    larger    than     a    pack-thread,    and 
commonly    not     half    so     large.      The     leading     stem 
ascends    half-way   or   more,    through    the    whole    length 
of    the   plant.     The    branches    put   out   very   irregularly 
all    around;     sometimes     scattered,     sometimes     much 
crowded,    sometimes    short,     but    more    often   long   and 
bent    inward,     as    indicated    above.       It    grows    upon 
shells,    stones,    rocks   and    other   Algse,    to   which   it   is 
fastened    by   a   minute    disk.      The    substance    of    the 
frond     is     cartilaginous,      tough     and     elastic.       When 
taken    from    the   water    it   will    be    decidedly   slippery 
to    the   touch,    and   when   carried    home    and   removed 
from    the    mass    of    plants    in    the    collecting    case,   it 
will   be    found   to    be    not    a    little    shmy.     It   will   be 
quite    sure    to    stain    the    cloth    used    in   pressing   and 
drying   it,    and,    perhaps,    also   the    paper   on   which   it 
is  mounted,  a  dark,    brownish    color.      It  is  an  annual, 
and    grows    between    tides,    not    usually   over    a    foot 
high,   and    the   old   fronds   will   be   quite  certain   to  be 
infested  with  some  species  of  Ectocarpus. 

Chordaria   divaricata,   Ag. 

The  widely  branched  Chordaria  is  a  deep-water 
plant  and  may  be  collected  along  our  whole  coast, 
from    New   York   to    Gloucester,    and    probably   farther 


106  SEA  MOSSES. 

north.  But  it  will  be  found  more  plentiful  south 
than  north  of  Cape  Cod.  I  have  taken  it  at 
Southold,  L.  1.,  and  at  Wood's  Holl.  It  is  not  so 
robust  a  plant  as  the  last.  From  the  first,  it  branches 
out  widely  in  all  directions,  in  a  straddling,  strug- 
gling, bushy  way.  The  branches,  which  branch  again 
and  again,  are  -beset  throughout  with  short  (one- 
sixteenth  to  one-tenth  of  an  inch),  spines^  which 
are  mostly  forked  widely  at  the  ends.  These  are 
the  characteristic  points.  The  plants  of  this,  like 
those  of  the  last  species,  are  somewhat  slippery  and 
slimy,  and  must  not  be  put  under  too  much  pres- 
sure at  first.  It  often  grows  a  foot  or  more,  though 
my  specimens  are  not  more  than  half  that  height. 
My  correspondents  report  it  as  found  all  summer  at 
all  points. 

Chordaria  abietina,  Rupr. 

This  is  the  only  species  of  this  genus  found  on  the 
coast  of  Cahfornia.  It  is  quite  common  at  Santa 
Cruz  and  northward,  growing  on  the  boulders^  along 
rocky  beaches. 

A  mounted  specimen,  four  inches  high,  lies  before 
me  as  I  write.  It  has  a  principal  leading  stem  extend- 
ing the  whole  length  of  the  plant,  which  is  two  oi 
three    times    as  thick  as  a  bristle,  and  i-Quch  attenuaied 

/ 


OLIVE    COLORED   ALG^E.  107 

at  the  base.  A  quarter  of  the  way  up  it  is  bare.  From 
that  point  it  is  thickly  beset  all  around  with  short 
branches,  varying  from  half  an  inch  to  one  and  one- 
half  inches  long,  undivided,  narrowly  constricted  at 
the  base,  blunt  at  the  apex,  mostly  cur\'ed,  and  stand 
out  perpendicularly  from  the  main  stem. 


Q,Qx\w%.— CASTAGNEA,   ThureL 


Castagnea  Zosters,  Thuret. 

This  species  is  named  from  the  "Eel  grass"  or 
Zostera,  on  the  fronds  of  which  it  commonly  grows. 
It  is  a  very  slender  plant,  not  larger  than  a  thread  or 
bristle,  and  some  six  or  eight  inches  long,  of  a  light 
olive  color,  somewhat  bent  in  a  zigzag  way,  and  but 
sparingly  branched.  The  branches  are  irregularly 
placed,  short  (about  one  inch  long),  spreading  horizon- 
tally from  the  main  stem,  and  either  widely  forking 
or  beset  with  twig-like  branchlets,  which  are  also  fre- 
quently forked  or  spiney.  It  adheres  nicely  to  paper, 
and  is  not  an  uninteresting  though  by  no  means  a 
handsome  plant.  I  found  it  in  August,  in  Marblehead 
harbor.  My  correspondents  do  not  report  it  else- 
where,  though    Dr.  Farlow  records   it  in  Wood's    Holl, 


108  SEA  MOSSES. 

and    Mr.    Collins   and    Mrs.    Bray  in   Robinson's    "List 
of  Essex  Plants,"  report  it  from  Gloucester. 

Castagnea  virescens,  Thuret. 

This  is  apparently  a  shorter  but  more  robust  plant, 
and  more  thickly  branched  than  the  last.  It  is  of 
a  more  pronounced  green  color,  as  its  name  implies. 
It  is  not  more  than  three  inches  long,  main  stem  and 
branches  both  straighter  than  in  C.  Zosterce,  but 
having  the  twiggy  appearance  peculiar  to  the  genus. 
American  plants  are  said  to  grow  on  Zostera,  though 
no  doubt  it  grows  parasitical  on  the  other  Algse  also. 
According  to  Le  Jolis  they  are  found ,  on  stones  and 
pebbles,  and  in  tide  pools  on  the  rocks  at  half  tide, 
toward  the  end  of  spring.  Mrs.  Davis  finds  it  growing 
on  sand  covered  rocks  at  half  tide,  all  summer  at 
Gloucester,  and  Mr.  Collins  found  it  in  June  at  Revere, 
cast  up  from  deep  water,  not  very  common.  Miss 
Booth  makes  report  of  it  in  the  same  situations  at 
Peconic  Bay.  It  is  also  reported  at  Wood's  Holl  and 
Portland.     I  should  expect  to  find  it  at  Marblehead. 


Fig.   2 


1.  POI.VSIPIIOMA     PARASITICA,     Grcv 

2.  MiCROCLADIA     BoREAT.IS,     Rupr. 


PLATE  VII. 


OLIVE    COLORED   ALG^.  109 

Sub-order.—  MYRIONEM^. 
Q^Qmz.— LEATBESIA,    Gray. 


Leathesia  tuberformis,  Gray. 
I  suppose  it  was  thought  a  great  compliment  to 
X  brother  naturalist,  to  name  this  plant  for  him. 
But  one  cannot  help  thinking,  that  one  would 
rather  lend  his  name  to  some  of  the  more 
interesting  and  beautiful  of  the  "  flowers  of  the 
sea."  Still,  this  plant  has  beauties  of  no  uncommon 
kind,  as  you  would  see,  if  you  were  to  take  a  very 
thin  slice  of  it,  and  put  it  under  the  lenses  of  a  micro- 
scope. It  is  also  very  widely  distributed,  being 
found  in  almost  every  sea,  and  on  the  most  distant 
shores  of  the  whole  globe.  So  this  humble  and  homely 
plant,  carries  the  name  of  the  Reverend  Naturalist, 
G.  R.  Leathe,  far  and  wide.  To  the  unaided  eye,  it 
looks  as  it  lies  fastened  there  upon  the  rocks,  or 
resting  its  green  lobes  upon  the  fronds  of  Chondrus 
crispus,  so  nearly  like  an  unripe  tomato,  that  you 
are  inclined  to  doubt  if  it  can  be  an  Alga  at  all, 
and  are  more  than  half  disposed  to  believe,  that  it 
must  be  some  succulent  vegetable  which  Neptune  is 
preparing  for  his  board.  It  makes  its  appearance  in 
April  or  May,  and  is  ripe  by  August  or  September, 
and   then   soon   disappears. 


no  SEA  MOSSES. 

Genus.— £  LA  CBISTA*   Duby. 


Elachista  fucicola,  Fr. 
No  doubt  you  will  wonder  what  the  little  tufts 
of  olive  colored  hairs  are,  which  are  so  common  upon 
the  "  Rockweed/'  every  hair  of  which  seems  to  radiate 
imbranched,  from  some  central  point  of  attachment 
hidden  in  the  tuft.  I  have  given  its  name  above. 
It  will  be  noticed  also  that,  though  the  longest  hairs 
are  not  over  half  an  inch  long,  there  is  a  mass  of 
them  much  shorter  than  that,  above  the  general  crop 
of  which,  the  long  ones  seem  to  stand  out  stiff  and 
solitary.  It  had  better,  perhaps,  be  removed  from 
the  Fiicus  before  mounting,  though  a  thin  slice  of 
that  might  be  cut  off  with  the  Elachista.  It  makes 
a  very  interesting  microscopical  object.  Its  delicate 
pencils  may  be  found  upon  the  ''  Rockweed  "  almost 
everywhere,  for  it  is  widely  distributed. 


Sub-ofder.—  SPHA  CELARIE^. 
Genus.—  CLADOSTEPBUS,^  Ag. 


Cladostephus  verticillatus,  Ag. 
The     whorled    Cladostephus     is     very     easily     dis- 
tinguished   from    all    other    plants   of    the    sea,    except 

*  Elachista  =  The  smallest, 
t  Qadostephus  =-  Branch  crowned. 


OLIVE     COLORED    ALGAL.  Ill 

its  "next  of  kin,"  the  C.  spongioses;  and  it  is  not 
of  the  first  importance,  if  it  is  not  distinguished  from 
that,  for  it  is  doubtful  if  they  are  quite  distinct  species. 
The  frond  is  not  much  thicker  than  a  bristle,  quite 
cylindrical,  hard  and  stiff.  It  begins  to  branch  quite 
low  down,  and  continues,  by  repeated,  regular,  though 
not  wide  forkings.  The  whole  frond  is  clothed  though- 
out  with  a  fleece  of  densely  set,  very  short  branchlets, 
which  grow  in  regular  circles  around  the  plant.  The 
circles  or  "whorls"  are  not  more  than  one-tenth  of 
an  inch  apart,  and  the  branchlets  are  not  less 
than  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  somewhat  incurved, 
hugging  the  stem  closely  about,  and  those  of  one 
"whorl"  overlapping  the  bottom  of  the  row  next  above 
it.  This  gives  the  whole  plant  a  decidedly  spongy 
quaHty  to  the  sense  of  both  sight  and  touch.  It  grows 
on  the  rocks,  nearly  down  to  low-water  mark.  Color, 
brownish  olive.  Height,  three  to  five  inches.  It  is 
a  perennial  and  fruits  in  winter.  I  found  it  and  C. 
spongiosus,  growing  together  in  great  abundance,  on 
the  low  rocks,  east  of  the  first  beach  at  Newport.  I 
also  got  several  fine  specimens  of  it  at  Martha's 
Vineyard.  It  is  said  to  belong  to  our  whole  New 
England  coast ;  but  I  think  it  must  be  rare  in  our 
northern  waters,  for  1  have  collected  Alg^  along  the 
shores     of    Salem,    Marblehead    and    Nahant,    several 


il2  SEA   MOSSES. 

years,  and  have  never  found  it  growing  there.  None 
of  my  correspondents  have  reported  it  north  of  Cape 
Cod. 

Cladostephus  spongiosus,  Ag. 

This  plant  differs  from  the  last  by  its  shorter  habit ; 
l)y  being  more  irregularly  branched,  the  branches 
spreading  more  widely,  and  having  a  thick,  clumsy, 
rambling  appearance,  and  by  the  branchlets  being 
longer,  irregularly  whorled,  and  clothing  the  frond 
in  a  denser,  spongier  fleece.  It  is  not  at  all  unlikely 
that  intermediate  forms  might  be  found  which  should 
connect  the  extremes,  typical  of  these  two  species,  in 
a  single  graduated  series.  My  European  plants 
appear  decidedly  more  "  spongy  "  than  the  American. 
Its  local  habitat  is  the  same  as  that  of  C.  vei'ticillatiis. 


Sub-Oxdex.—  ECTOCARFE^. 
Genus.—  ECTO CARPUS*   Lyngb, 

According   to    Dr.   Farlow's   list,   this   genus,  in  our 
American    waters,    includes    fifteen    species.       Of    those 

1    have    selected    five    of    the    most    common    for  our 

study.       These     plants,     like    the     Cladophorce    in  the 

green   Algae,    and    the     Callit]ia77inia    in    the    red,  are 

of    capillary   or   hair-like    fineness,    and   like    them  are 

*  Ectocarpus  =  External  fruits. 


OLIVE     COLORED    ALG/E.  113 

composed  of  cells  pat  end  to  end  in  a  single  series. 
The  determination  of  species  is  made,  in  most  cases, 
by  the  appearance  of  the  fruit  masses,  (j>ropagula) , 
and  by  the  peculiarities  of  the  branching.  These 
points  can  best  be  determined  by  the  use  of  the 
compound  microscope,  but  they  can  be  made  out 
with  a  good  pocket  lens.  They  are  mostly  parasitical 
on  other  Algae,  Fucus^  Chorda,  Chordaria  and 
Zostera,  etc.  The  color  of  the  smaller  forms  is  very 
apt  to  be  a  fine  olive  green. 

EcTOCARPus  FiRMUS,  Ag.   {^E.  Uttoralis,  Harv.) 

This  is  said  to  be  the  commonest  species  of  the 
genus  on  our  coast,  and  grows  parasitical  on  the 
littoral  Fiici.  The  tufts  are  of  various  lengths  up  to 
ten  or  twelve  inches,  dense,  filaments  fine,  interwoven, 
much  and  irregularly  l)ranched ;  branches  mostly 
alternate,  repeatedly  divided,  the  divisions  made  at 
acute  angles,  the  upper  ones  opposite ;  articulations 
of  branches  almost  as  long  as  broad.  The  propagula 
form  elongated  linear  swellings  in  the  substance  of 
the  greater  and  lesser  branches,  many  times  longer 
than  broad.  Color  varies  from  olive  green  to  brown. 
Found  at  all  seasons. 


114  SEA  MOSSES. 

EcTOCARPus  Farlowii,  Thuret. 

This  is  a  shorter  and  somewhat  coarser  plant 
than  the  preceding,  growing  in  the  .  same  situations 
upon  Fuc2is  nodosits.  In  my  specimens,  the  end  of 
the  Fiicus  is  clothed,  for  the  space  of  three  inches 
or  more,  with  a  dense,  dark  green  mass  of  Ectocarpus 
filaments,  half  an  inch  long.  I  have  seen  no  detailed 
description  of  the  plant ;  but  perhaps  its  outward 
appearance,  as  given  above,  being  somewhat  distinct 
and  well-marked,  would  serve  most  collectors  as  a 
clue  to  identification,  better  than  a  fuller  account  of 
the  fruit  and  branching.  I  found  it  common  at 
Marblehead,  in  the  summer.  It  is  also  found  along 
the  coast  north,  as  far  as  Peak's  Island,  Maine. 

Ectocarpus  siliculosus,  Lyngb. 

This  plant  is  very  common  along  our  whole 
eastern  coast,  and  is  found  occasionally  on  the 
Pacific  shores.  It  grows  on  various  substances  be- 
tween tides,  but  seems  especially  to  affect  the  string- 
like fronds  of  the  Chordaria  flagelliformis.  The 
color  is  mostly  a  yellowish  green,  but  variable.  Fronds 
from  three  to  six  inches  long,  not  entangled,  filaments 
very  slender,  and  excessively  branched,  all  the  divisions 
alternate  with  acute  axils.  The  propagula  are  formed 
by    the    transforming    of    a    portion    of    the    ultimate 


OLIVE    COLORED   ALGyE.  115 

ramuli,  that  portion  commonly  nearest  the  end,  into 
spore  masses,  which,  under  the  glass,  look  not  unlike 
minute  ears  of  com. 

ECTOCARPUS    VIRIDIS,    HaRV. 

This  may  be  a  mere  variety  of  the  last.  It  grows 
in  the  same  situation,  but  is  much  less  common.  The 
color  is  a  more  pronounced  green,  and  the  frond  is 
decidedly  more  feathery,  loose,  open,  and  expanding, 
than  in  E.  siliculosus.  The  prop.igula  are  the  same, 
only  that  they  are  formed  in  the  base  of  the  ultimate 
ramuli  and  so  have  the  unchanged  portion  extend- 
ing beyond  the  spore  mass.  Our  figure  in  Plate  IV., 
gives  a  very  good  representation  of  this  beautiful 
species. 

ECTOCARPUS    TOMENTOSUS,     LyNGB. 

This  is  a  native  of  our  northern  waters.  The 
filaments  are  fine,  twisted  and  matted  together  like 
cords,  or  interwoven  into  a  dense  sponge-like 
branching  tuft.  Articulations  two  or  three  times  as 
long  as  broad.  Propagula,  oblong,  obtuse  set  on 
the  lower  branches  by  a  short  stem.  Color,  from 
yellov"sh  olive  to  dark  brown.  It  grows  on  various 
substances  between  tides.  It  may  be  looked  for 
throughout   the   season, 


116  SEA   MOSSES. 

Sub-order.—  DI.CTYOSIPHON  lE^. 
Genus— DICTYOSIFBON*    Grev 


DiCTYOSIPHON     FCENICULACEUS,    GrEV. 

This  is  our  only  species  of  tiiis  genus.  It  grows 
in  rock  pools  and  below  tide,  and  occurs  from  L.  I. 
Sound  northward,  but  is  more  common  in  our 
northern  waters.  Frond  filiform,  about  as  thick  as 
a  bristle ;  harsh  to  the  touch ;  from  six  inches  to 
two  feet  long ;  profusely  and  irregularly  branched 
on  all  sides  from  top  to  bottom.  The  primary 
branches  are  long,  and  closely  beset  with  secondary 
branches  which  are  also  long  and  straight,  and  often 
of  hair-like  tenuity.  Color,  a  brownish  olive,  dark 
when  dry.  It  adheres  pretty  well  to  paper  in  dry- 
ing. Mr.  CoUins  collected  it  from  March  to  Sep- 
tember, at  Nahant  and  Nantasket.  I  found  it  not 
uncommon  at  Marblehead,  all  summer,  and  Miss 
Booth  reports  it  in  Peconic  Bay,  L.  I.  Others 
have  found  it  at  Boston  and  Newport.  It  certainly 
may  be  expected  in  favorable  localities  all  along  the 
coast.  It  is  not  noted  for  its  beauty  as  a  herba- 
rium specimen. 

*  Dictyosiphon  =  A  netted  tube. 


OLIVE     COLORED    ALG^.  117 

Sub-order  —  DESMARESTIEM. 
Genus.— DESAfARESTIA*   Lam. 

Of  this  genus  we  have  four  species,  divided 
equally  between  the  two  oceans.  The  cyHndrical 
and  narrow  forms  belong  to  the  Atlantic  and  the 
flattened  or  strap-like  forms  are  natives  of  the 
Pacific.  It  is  not  a  little  singular  that  one  species, 
D.  ligul.ita,  should  be  very  common  on  the  eastern 
shores  of  both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans,  and 
not  found  at  all  on  the  coast  lying  between,  viz., 
the  western  shores  of  the  Atlantic. 

Desmarestia  viridis.  Lam. 

This  is  a  large  and  fine  plant,  growing  from  one 
to  three  feet  in  hight,  of  a  beautiful  chestnut  oliv* 
color  when  fresh,  turning  to  a  dark  green  when 
dry.  It  is  found  on  rocks,  stones,  a.nd  other  Algae, 
in  tide  pools  near  low  water  mark,  and  in  deep 
water.  The  frond  is  cylindrical  or  filiform,  twice  as 
thick  as  a  bristle  in  a  plant  two  feet  long,  beset,  at 
rather  remote  intervals,  with  long,  primary  branches, 
which  come  out  in  pairs  exactly  opposite  each  other 
on  the  two  sides  of  the  main  stem.  These  branches 
are   themselves   branched    in    the    same    way  by   pairs 

*  Desmarestia  was  named  for  Desmarest,  a   French  Naturalist. 


118  SEA  MOSSES. 

of  opposite  secondary  branches,  and  these  again  in 
like  manner  by  their  branchlets.  All  the  divisions 
are  long  and  the  ultimate  parts  very  fine  and  hair- 
like. Indeed,  a  large  and  beautiful  plant  in  my  her- 
barium presents  an  appearance  not  unlike  that  of 
long,  wavy  tresses  of  hair.  If  it  never  received  the 
popular  name  of  "Mermaid's  hair,"  it  is  quite  time 
it  was  christened  that.  It  is  reported  very  common 
along  all  our  northern  shores,  from  February  to 
November,  and  less  common  in  southern  waters  in 
the  summer. 

Desmarestia  aculeata,  Lam. 

This  plant  is  found  the  year  around,  growing  at 
low  tide  and  in  deep  water.  It  is  very  common  so 
that  special  localities  need  not  be  named.  Frond, 
cylindrical  at  base,  but  soon  flattening;  in  a  plant  a 
foot  and  a  half  high,  as  thick  as  a  sparrow's  quill. 
Branches,  alternate,  irregular,  half  forking,  much  flat- 
tened, from  one-twelfth  to  one-eighth  of  an  inch  wide 
two  or  three  times  sub-divided.  The  young  plants, 
and  apparently  the  younger  parts  of  all  the  plants, 
are  clothed  with  opposite  pencils  of  fine,  beautiful 
olive-green  filaments,  from  one-sixteenth  to  one-half 
an  inch  long.  A  larger  plant  before  me,  collected 
at  Marblehead,  Mass.,  in  August,  has  them  very  short ; 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALG^.  119 

and  a  smaller  plant  from  the  island  of  Spitzbergen, 
collected  July  23rd,  has  them  half  an  inch  or  more 
long.'  When  these  pencils  fall  away,  they  are 
replaced  by  short,  sharp,  awl-like  spines,  set  regu- 
larly and  alternately  on  each  edge  of  the  flattened 
branch,  pointing  forward.  It  is,  perhaps,  an  arctic 
plant,  but  it  is  found  in  temperate  waters,  south  of 
Cape  Cod.  It  is  said  sometimes  to  attain  a  height 
of  six  feet.  It  is  an  interesting  plant,  and  the 
young  forms  are  very  beautiful,  and  adhere  nicely  to 
paper  in  mounting. 

Desmarestia  ligulata,   Lam. 

This  is  the  most  common  California  species,  and 
exceeds  in  interest,  if  not  in  beauty,  either  of  our 
Atlantic  plants  already  named.  It  grows  a  foot  or 
two  high,  flat,  one-fourth  to  one-half  inch  wide, 
beset,  at  intervals,  along  the  edges,  by  pairs  of  op- 
posite flat  branches.  And  these,  again,  are  more 
thickly  clothed  by  shorter,  flat  branchlets,  ser- 
rated along  the  edges  with  sharp,  forward -pointing 
teeth. 

Both  the  primary  and  secondary  branches  are 
narrowed  to  a  point  at  base  and  apex.  The  sub- 
stance of  the  frond  is  thin  and  delicate ;  the  color, 
a    yellowish    olive,    in    the    specimens    which    I    have 


120  SEA  MOSSES. 

seen.  It  grows  in  great  abundance,  at  low  tide  and 
below,  on  rocks,  along  the  whole  California  coast. 
Mr.  Cleveland  says  it  is  washed  up  from  deep 
water,  and  lies  in  great  heaps  on  the  beach,  near 
the  Mexican  boundary  of  Southern  California. 

Desmarestia   latifrons,*   Kutz. 

This  plant  seems  to  occupy  a  middle  ground  be- 
tween D.  aculeata  and  D.  ligulata,  having  branches 
shorter  and  wider  and  less  numerous  than  the  former, 
and  much  narrower  and  thicker  than  the  latter. 
The  branching  is  alternate,  like  that  of  Z>.  aculeata, 
and  the  secondary  branches  have  the  same  remote 
alternate  sharp  spines  of  that  species.  In  the  frag- 
ment of  a  plant  before  me,  which  is  about  six 
inches  long,  the  stem  is  one-tenth  of  an  inch  wide, 
primary  and  secondary  branches  about  the  same. 
Both  main  stem  and  prim.ary  branches  appear  under 
the  lens  to  be  "  midribed."  It  is  not  a  very  rare 
plant  at  Santa  Cruz  and  in  the  north  of  California, 
but  grows  at  low- tide  mark,  on  the  rocks,  at  all 
seasons.  At  Santa  Barbara  it  is  very  rare,  and  has 
not  yet  been  found  at  San    Diego. 


Latifrons  =  A  wide  fi  ond. 


POLYSIPIIONIA     BAILEVI,     Ao; 


PLATE  VI  i 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALGuE.  121 

Sub-order  —  PUNCTARIE^. 
Genus.— FUNCTARIA*    Grev. 


PUNCl^ARIA    LATIFOLIA,t     GrEV. 

Fronds,  pale  olive  green ;  thickish,  membraneous, 
soft  and  tender,  more  or  less  dotted  with  minute 
spore  masses,  suddenly  tapering  at  the  bottom,  from 
one  to  three  inches  wide  in  the  broadest  point,  and 
from  eight  to  twelve  inches  long,  the  proportions 
the  same  in  the  smaller  plants.  When  young,  the 
substance  is  thin  and  soft,  and  almost  gelatinous  to 
the  touch,  being  then  covered  with  very  short  pel- 
lucid, almost  invisible  hairs.  In  that  state  it  is  of 
a  light  olive  green  color.  When  older,  it  gets 
darker.  The  margin  of  the  frond  wavy,  and  in  old 
plants  the  substance  of  the  frond  is  thicker  and 
more  rigid.  In  that  condition  it  will  be  distin- 
guished from  plants  of  the  next  species  chiefly  by 
its  sudden  narrowing  at  the  base. 

It  is  a  summer  annual,  growing  between  tides  on 
stones  and  x\lg3e.  It  will  be  met  with  most  com- 
monly in  the  var.  Zoster (2,  or  P.  tenuissima,  of  Har- 
vey's   "  Nereis,"    a  small  form,    not  more    than  two  or 

*  Punctaria  =  Dotted, 
t  Latifolia  =  Wide-leaf. 


122  SEA  MOSSES. 

three  inches  long  and  one-fourth  of  an  inch  wide, 
very  thin  and  delicate,  fringing  both  edges  of  a 
blade  of  Zostera,  or  growing  in  the  same  manner 
from  the  sides  of  a  frond  of  Chorda  filum.  Mr. 
Collins  finds  it  in  deep  water  and  on  Zostera,  at 
Revere,  from  April  to  July;  Mrs.  Davis,  from 
April  to  November,  in  rock  pools  everywhere  about 
Gloucester.  I  have  a  copy  of  the  typical  form 
collected  by  Mr.  A.  R.  Young,  at  College  Point, 
L.  I.,  in  May.  It  was  collected  by  Mr.  Hooper,  at 
Fort  Hamilton,  New  York  Bay,  and  at  Flushing 
Bay,  by  Prof.  Bailey. 

PUNCTARIA    PLANTAGINEA,*    GrEV. 

Frond,  dark  brown,  leathery,  much  attenuated  at 
base  from  near  the  middle,  blunt  or  wedged-shaped 
at  the  top,  from  six  to  twelve  inches  long  and 
from  one  to  one  and  a  half  inches  wide.  It  is  a 
summer  annual,  and  grows  on  stones  and  other  Algae, 
between  tide  marks  and  below.  It  is  not  so  com- 
mon as  the  last,  but  I  have  it  reported  all  alon^ 
our  north  eastern  seaboard. 

It  does  not  usually  adhere  well  to  paper,  and  it 
is  far  from  being  an  inviting  specimen  to  personj 
whose  interest  in    these  plants  is  other  than  scientific. 

*  Plantaginea  =;  Like   the   Plantain. 


OLIVE    COLORED    ALGJE.  123 

Sub-order.—  SCYTOSIPHONEJS. 
Genus.— PHVLL/T/S*   (J^u/z.),  Le  Jolis. 


Phyllitis  fascia, t  KUTZ. 
This  is  quite  common  along  our  rocky  shores,  at 
all  seasons,  in  tide  pools  near  low-water  mark.  It 
usually  grows  in  tufts :  a  cylindrical  stem  gradually 
expands  into  a  long,  flat,  narrow  frond,  from  one- 
fourth  to  one  inch  wide,  and  from  three  to  twelve 
inches  long.  It  is  usually  blunt  at  top,  and,  as  just 
said,  attenuated  below.  My  specimens  are  narrow, 
with  parallel  sides,  one-third  of  an  inch  wide  and 
twelve  inches  long.  The  color  is  a  brownish  olive, 
and  the  substance  membraneous,  but  not  very  thick. 
My  Californian  correspondents  report  it  very  com- 
mon along  the  whole  extent  of  that  coast. 


Qkqx\\x%,—  SCYTOSIPHON,%  Lyngb. 


SCYTOSIPHON    I,OMENTARIUS,    Ag. 

This  species  grows  in  much  the  same  situations 
as  the  last,  oftentmies  in  company  with  it,  in  the  tide 
pools.      It   is    common   on   our   eastern   coast,    and    is 

*  Phylliiis=  Leaf,  like  Hart's  tongue. 

t  Fascia  =  A  band. 

X  Scytosiphon  =  A  leather  tube. 


124  SEA  MOSSES. 

reported  the  same  in  California.  It  grows  from 
eight  to  eighteen  inches  high,  cylindrical,  unbranched, 
attenuated  at  top  and  bottom,  one-fourth  of  an  incli 
in  diameter,  inflated,  and  sharply  and  definitely  con- 
stricted at  irregular  intervals,  which  gives  it  the 
appearance  when  growing,  of  a  string  of  small,  narrow 
bags  tied  together  by  the  ends.  Color,  a  brownish 
or  greenish  olive.  Substance,  membraneous  and  soft. 
*  *  *  * 

There  are  no  more  fitting  words  with  which  to 
bid  adieu  to  this  modest- hued,  homely,  often  coarse, 
but  always  interesting  group  of  plants,  than  these  of 
the    Poet,   who   loves   the   sea  and  the 

SEA   WEED. 

"When  descends  on  the  Atlantic 

The  gigantic 
Storm  wind  of  the  Equinox, 
Landward  in  his  wrath  he  scourges 

The  toiUug  surges. 
Laden  with  sea  weed  from  the  rocks. 
Ever  drifting,  drifting,  drifting, 

On  the  shifting, 
Currents  of  the  restless  main; 
'Till  in  sheltered  coves,  and  reaches 

Of  sandy  beaches, 
All  have  found  repose  again.'" 

Longfellow. 


'(?f^- 


KEY   TO    THE 
GENERA    OF   THE    ATLANTIC    COAST 


RED  ALG^. 

Frond  membraneous. 

I.     Fi-ond  Midribed. 
(a.)     Plants    small,     with     regular     veins     from 

midrib  to  margin  of  frond.     Delesseria.    //O  A* 
(^.)     Plants  large,  without  veins,  midrib  slender,     v^ 

Frond   thin,   brilliant  pink,  more    or  less 

sprinkled  with  darker  colored  dots. 

Grmnellia.  ''^ 

2.     Frond  Stalked. 

Membrane  small,  short,  forked,  growing 
on  the  apex  of  branching,  cylindrical 
stems.  Phyllophora. 

Frond  plain,   Membrane   smooth,    without 
stalk,  midrib,  or  vein. 
(a.)     Frond    large,    thickish,   mostly   wedge    or 
fan    shaped,    palmately    divided,    some- 
times strap-shaped.    "  Dulse." 

Rhodymenia. 
(^.)     Frond    thin,  tapering    to  top   and   bottom, 
bearing  on  the   edges   toothed   frondleti 
of  the  same  shape.  Calliblepharis. 


126  SB  A    MOSSES. 

11.     Frond  flattened  or  compressed. 
I .     Fro7id  forked. 
(^.)     Small,  short,  wedge-shaped,  once  or  twice 

forked, 
(i.)     Frond  thick,  smooth,  purple  or  green. 

"  Irish  Moss,"    Chondrus. 
(ii.)      Frond   channeled,   more    or   less    covered 

with  papillcB,   dark.  Gigartifia. 

(iii.)     Frond  stalked,  thin,  narrow,  red. 

Gymnogongrus. 
(^.)     Frond     long,     narrow,    partly     cylindrical, 
many  times  divided.  Gracilaria. 

2.     Frond pinnately  divided. 
Plant    small,    pinnae     and     pinnulae,     fine 

and  set  in  one  plane.  Ptiloia. 

3.     Frond  irregtclarly  divided. 
Frond   forking   and    branching    irregularly, 
profusely,  mostly   in   one   plane,    from   a 
marginal  point.  Euthora. 

Ill     Frond  filiform  or  thread-like. 

(From    size  of  sewing   cotton   to   that   of 
wTapping  twine,  branched). 
1.     Plants  whose  ultimate  branchlets  taper  to  both 
ends, 
{a.)     Plants   with   one   main   or  leading  stem. 


KEY    TO    THE    GENERA.  127 

(i.)  Main  stem  mostly  undivided,  bare  at 
base,  clothed  above  with  simple  un- 
branched  ramuli.  Halosaccion. 

(ii.)     Robust,       coarse,       profusely       branched, 

branches      often       ending     in     twining 

tendrils,     dull     brown     or    purple,    very 

common ;  six  to  ten  inches  high.  n  \\ 

Cystoclonium. 

(iii.)     Smaller,    finer,   branches    shorter,    full   red 

or  pink,  rare.  Gloiosiphonia.p  *''  ' 

{b.)     Plants  without  leading  stem. 

(i.)  Large,  smooth,  robust,  two  or  three  times 
divided ;  ramuli  long,  slender  at  point, 
slightly  curved ;  reddish  purple  to  pink ; 
prominent  fruit  vessels  in  ramuli.  Plant 
six  to  twelve  inches  high.     Rhabdonia. 

(ii.)  Small,  slender ;  ramuli  long,  curved ; 
beautiful  delicate  pink.  Plants  three 
inches  high.  Loincntaria. 

(iii.)  Larger,  l^rownish,  slender  or  robust ; 
branches  long,  ramuli  very  short,  often 
minute.  Chondriopsis. 

(iv.)  Slender,  brown,  branches  long,  bare  and 
hooked  at  the  ends ;  ramuli  short. 

Hypnea. 


128  SEA  MOSSES. 

2.     Frond  regula^'ly  forking. 
(^.)     Long,    elastic,   worm-like,    axils    wide    and 

rounded.  Nemalion. 

{b.)  Short,  stiff,  black,  widely  forking,  uniform 
size,  not  adhering  to  paper.  Three  or 
four  inches  high.  Polyides. 

(^.)     Same    outline,  soft,  adheres,  rosy  red. 

Scinaia. 
3.     Plants  clothed  with  fine  hairs. 

{a.)     Stem    robust;    branches     few,    long     and  O 

mostly  simple.  All  parts  thickly  clothed 
with  brilliantly  colored  pink  or  purple 
fine  hair,  like  "  Chenille."      Dasya. 

{p.)  Stem  and  branches  slender,  several  times 
divided;  hairs  much  p^er,  shorter  and 
less  abundant.  Spyridia. 


Fronds    many  times  and  finely  divided,  robust 
or  slender,  mostly  dark  or  brow7i. 
(a.)     Ultimate     ramuli,     often     in    clumps     or   '' 
minute  brushes,  black  or  brown.  ' 

Rhodomela. 
{b.)     Plants   variously,   but    profusely   branched, 
mostly     fine,     often     arborescent,      fruit 
vessels    pear-shaped;    black,    reddish    or 
light  brown,  Polysiphonia. 


,^ 


^' 


.o'- 


lO) 


KEY    TO    THE    GENERA.  120 

5.     Frond    consisting     of    visibly    articulated,    or 
jointed  filaments. 
Slender   or   robust,  branching   or   forking; 
filaments  showing  alternately   white    and 
red,  or  light  and  dark  bands.  -^ 

Ceramium.-    ^ 

6.  Frond  stiff,  wiry,  black.  1 
Intricately  and  irregularly  branched,  some- 
times bleached  white.               Ahnfeltia. 

7.  Frond  sto7iy  and  hard. 

Purple  to    white.  Corallina. 

IV.     Frond   capillary. 

(Composed    of    a    single    series    of    cells 
placed  end  to  end). 

1.  Cells  long. 

Frond  divided  by  regular,  narrow  forkings, 
fan-shaped,  level  topped;  color  pale, 
delicate  pink.  Griffithsia. 

2.  Cells  short. 

Plants    mosdy    small,    often    shaped    like 
a     miniature     shrub;     much     branched, 
final   divisions    as  fine  as  cobweb;  color     • 
brilliant  red    or    i)ink,  the  most  beautifuM, 
of  plants.  Callithamnion, 


"^©^^ 


f' 


KEY    TO    THE     GENERA    OF     THE     PACIFIC 
COAST.* 


I.     Frond  Membraneous. 

I.      Frond  plain,    mostly    undivided,    smooth,    or 

roughened  only  by  seed  vessels. 

{a.)     Thick,  large,  reddish  brown. 

Sarcophyllis. 

(b.)     Thinner,  large,  purplish  color.        Iridcea. 
(<;.)      Undivided,     branched     or     cleft;     brown, 
purple,  or  green.  Grateloupia. 

2.     Frond  thick,  covered  with  pappili. 

Undivided,  forked  or  irregularly  branched, 
deep  red,  or  purple.  Gigartina. 

3.     Frond  narrower,  thick,  leathery,  smooth. 

Sword-shaped     leaflets    from    side    or    end 
of  main  frond ;  dark  red  brown. 

Prionitis  Andersonii. 
4.     Frond  much  divided. 
(a.)     Thin,    deeply    lobed,    or     forked,    mostly 
dark  red ;  not  adhering  well. 

Nitophyllum . 
{b.)     Thicker,    more    intricately    divided,    more 
brilliant  red  color,  adheres. 

Callophyllis. 

Only  those  Genera  which  have  species  peculiar  to  the  Pacific  Coast  are  in- 
cluded in  this  Key,  the  rest  will  be  found  in  the  other. 


KEY    TO    THE    GENERA.  131 

r,.      Fronds  regularly  forking,  thin,  narrow ;  sides  of 
lobes  parallel,  ends  rounded. 
(</.)      Dull  red,  not  adhering.  Rhodymenia. 

(/\)  Brilliant  red;  interrupted  midrib  of  darker 
color,  or  fruit  dots  scattered  over  the 
surface  ;  adheres.  Stenogramma. 

II.     Frond  f  attened  or  compressed. 
I.     Frond pinnately  branched. 

(a.)  Frond  narrow,  dense,  hard,  dark  red. 
Primary  branches,  alternate  or  forking; 
secondary,  short,  tapering  to  both  ends, 
pinnate.  Prionitis  lanceolata. 

{b.'i  Frond  narrow,  cartilaginous,  divided  into 
several  branches ;  pinnae  and  pinnulae, 
alternate,  blunt  at  apex ;   dull  purple. 

Faureneia. 

(c.)  Pinnae,  arranged  on  the  edges  of  the 
main  stem  and  long  branches,  short,  the 
opposite  ones  unlike.  Ptilota. 

(d.)  Frond  very  narrow,  horny  when  dry;  main 
branches  irregular;  pinnae  and  pinnulae 
exactly  opposite,  with  wide  rounded 
axils,  ultimate  pinnae  tapering  to  both 
ends ;  purple,  often  faded.       Gelidium, 


132  SEA  MOSSES. 

2.  Fronds  irregularly  branched. 
(d5.)  Frond  leathery,  narrow,  very  dark  reddish 
brown;  branches  in  one  plane,  flat, 
narrowed  at  base  and  top,  bent  sword- 
shape,  and  often  bordered  with  fine 
spines;  eight  to  twelve  inches  high. 

Farlowia. 
(b.)     Plants    smaller    and     narrower,    branching 
much   the  same   as   the  last;    secondary 
branches,  bordered  with  incurved   spine- 
like   ramuli,    much    attenuated    at    both 
ends.     Color,  very  dark  red.         Pikea. 
3.     Frond  with  leading  stem. 
Branches  long,  alternate ;  secondary,  short, 
alternate ;  ultimate   ramuli,   alternate,  in- 
curved,   awl-shaped,    not    constricted    at 
%  base.  Microcladia. 

III.     Frond  filiform  or  cylindrical. 

I.     Frond  coarse,  thick  as  pack  thread. 
(a.)     Frond  divided  by  regular  forkings,  several 
times   repeated ;    horny  when  dry,  dark. 

Ahnfeltia. 
(d.)     Frond  with   leading  stem,  branches   short, 
stout,  tapering  at  both  ends.    Clear  red. 

Rhabdonia, 


KEY    TO    THE    GENERA.  133 

{c.)  Stem  branched  and  forked;  end  of 
branches  beset  with  many  short,  stout, 
oval  or  obtuse  ramuli.  Chylodadia, 

2.     Frond  finer  and  more  elaborately  divided, 
{a.)     Stem  robust,  branches   irregular;    ultimate 
ramuli,  clustered  in  bunches;  black. 

Rhodomela. 
{d.)     Frond    delicate,    many    times    finely    and 
pinnately  divided ;  color,  brown  or  black. 
Polysipho7iia. 
(c.)     Frond    delicate,    finely    pinnated,    brilliant 
pink-  Callithamnion. 


The  night  is  calm  and  cIoudIes% 

And  still  as  still  can  be, 
And  the  stars  come  forth  to  listen 

To  the  music  of  the  sea. 
They  gather,  and  gatner,  and  gather* 

Until  they  crowd  the  sky, 
And  listen  in  breathless  silence. 

To  the  solemn  litany. 
It  begins  in  rocky  caverns, 

As  a  voice  that  chants  alone 
To  the  pedals  of  the  organ 

In  monotonous  undertone; 
And  anon  from  shelving  beaches. 

And  shal'ow  sands  beyond 
In  snow-white  robes  uprising, 

The  ghostly  choirs  respond. 
And  sadly  and  unceasing 

The  mournful  voice  Vngs  on, 
And  the  snow-white  cooirs  still  answer, 
Christe  Eleisoot 

Longfellow* 


CHAPTER  IV. 


BED  ALG^, 


&^-^-»^^@^®<}@^^->^ 


CHAPTER   IV. 


Sub-c\^ss.—  RBODOSFOR^   or  FLORIDE^. 


E  have  now  come  to  the  Red  "  Sea  Mosses." 
They  are  more  highly  organized  than  the 
plants  we  have  been  considering.  This  is  apparent  in 
the  greater  variety  of  form,  and  complexity  of  structure, 
as  well  as  in  the  higher  and  more  elaborate  machinery 
for  the  reproduction  process,  which  is  seen  in  them. 

The  Red  "Sea  Mosses"  are  characterized  by  the 
presence  of  two  different  kinds  of  seeds,  or  spores. 
One  kind  is  produced  by  a  process  analogous  to  that 
by  which  seeds  and  fruit  are  produced  in  the  flowering 
plants;  that  is,  by  the  presence  and  co-operation 
of   a    staminate    and    pistilate    element.      This    is    the 


136  SEA   MOSSES. 

sexual  fruit,  and  usually  appears  in  minute  clusters 
upon  the  branches  of  fertile  fronds,  or  else  encased 
in  little  egg-shaped  baskets,  or  other  receptacles.  It 
is  also  not  unfrequently  found  embedded  in  the  sub- 
stance of  membraneous  fronds,  or  held  in  wart-like 
protuberances  which  arise  from  their  surface. 

The  other  or  asexual  spores  are  produced,  ap- 
parently, by  a  change  in  some  of  the  vegetable  cells 
of  the  plant.  They  always  appear  in  groups  of  four, 
hence  their  name,  '■'■  Tetraspores''  or  ''  Tetragonidia.'" 
The  original,  or  "  Mother  cell,"  seems  to  part  its 
contents  invariably  into  four  secondary  cells,  and  each 
of  these  is  capable  of  reproducing  the  plant.  They 
are  found  in  various  situations,  but,  except  in  some  of 
the  lower  plants  of  the  group,  always  occur  embedded 
in  the  substance  of  the  frond.  It  is  a  rule,  which  ^o 
far  as  I  know,  has  no  exception,  that  the  two  kinds 
of  fruit  never  appear   upon   the   same  individual  plant. 

The  Red  Mosses  will  no  doubt  make  up  the  prin- 
cipal part  of  all  your  collections.  Certainly  they  are, 
as  a  general  thing,  more  interesting  and  more  beautiful, 
and  appear  in  much  greater  variety  of  form,  than  those 
of  the  other  classes.  Some  of  them  are  marvelously 
fine  and  delicate,  and  make  the  most  exquisite  and 
fairy-like  pictures  when  spread  out  upon  paper.  The 
wonder  is,  how  such  fragile  things  can  find  the  means 


RED    ALG^.  137 

and  opportunity  to  live  and  grow  in  the  rough,  tumul- 
tuous and  stormy  sea.  But  you  will  not  long  have 
been  an  observer  of  the  ways  of  Old  Ocean  without 
often  seeing  what  the  Poet  has  so  finely  told  in  the 
following  lines : 

SEA  TANGLE. 
"Go  show  to  earth  your  power!"  the  East  Wind  cried 
Commanding;   and   the  swift  submissive  seas, 
In  ordered  files,   like  liquid  mountains,  glide. 
Moving  from  sky   to  sky  with   godlike  ease. 

Below  a  cliff,  where  mused  a  little  maid. 

It  struck.    Its  voice  in  thunder  cried  "Beware!" 

But,   to  delight  her,   instantly  displayed 

A  fount  of  showering  diamonds  in  the  air. 

******        The  wave  passed  on; 
Touching  each  shore  with  silver-sandled  feet. 
But  tossed,  in  flying,    in   the  sun  which  shone, 
A  handful,  to  her  lap,   of  sea-blooms  sweet. 

More  delicate  than  forms  that  frost  doth  weave 
On  window  panes,   are  Ocean's  filmy  brood: 
Remembering  the  awful  horns   they  leave, 
Their  hues  to  that  dim   underworld  subdued. 

Fair  spread  on  pages  white,   I   saw   arrayed 

These  fairy  children   of  a  sire  so  stern ; 

Their  beauty  charmed  me;   while  the  little   maid. 

Spoke  of  her  new  found  love   with  cheeks  which  bum. 

"  So  grand,   so  terrible,   how  could  I   know 
He  cared  for  these?"   she  faltered,— "  darlings  dear! 
That  his  great  heart   could  nurture   them   and  glow 
With  such  a  love  beneath  such  looks  severe?" 


138  SBA  MOSSBS. 

Like   God,  the   Ocean,  too,   the  least  can   heed, 
Yearn  in   a   moon-led   quest  to  farthest  shores, 
And   fondle   in   delight   its   smallest  weed. 
Yet   look  to   Him   it  mirrors  and  adores. 

y.  G.   Appleton. 


Order.— RHODOMELE^. 
Gierwi^.— DASYA*  Ag. 


DaSYA     ELEGANS,t     AO. 

Of  this  genus  but  one  species  is  found  on  our 
Atlantic  coast,  within  the  geographical  limits  which 
this  book  is  intended  to  cover.  But,  happily,  this 
is  the  most  interesting  and  beautiful  representative 
of  the  genus,  known  to  our  American  flora,  viz.,  the 
Dasya  elegans. 

It  is  sometimes  popularly  called  "  chenille,"  be- 
cause in  the  water  it  looks  very  like  a  piece  of 
that  sort  of  finery.  No  one  acquainted  with  the 
appearance  of  chenille,  would,  for  an  instant,  mistake 
a  specimen  of  this  elega?it  Dasya,  when  seen  float- 
ing in  its  native  element.  Out  of  the  water,  lodged 
wet  upon  the  rocks,  or  mixed  with  other  Algae,  it 
looks    more    like    a    stringy   mass    of   pink  or  purple 

*  Dasya  =  Hairy, 
t  Elegans  =  Elegant, 


RED    ALG.^.  139 

jelly.  The  artist  has  made  an  excellent  representa- 
tion of  a  beautiful  specimen  of  this  plant,  in  our 
Plate  V. 

The  body  of  the  plant  is  a  robust,  sparingly  but 
irregularly  branched  cord,  from  six  inches  to  two  or 
three  feet  long,  and  from  once  to  three  times  the 
thickness  of  a  pack-thread.  The  branches  are  long, 
and  mostly  undivided,  and  the  whole  plant  is  clothed 
with  a  fine,  delicate  body  of  purple-lake  colored 
hairs,  from  an  eighth  to  a  third  of  an  inch  in 
length.  This  gives  it  the  appearance  of  chenille. 
When  a  little  faded,  this  fine,  silky  plush  assumes  a 
delicate  or  bright  pink  color.  The  plant  grows 
attached,  by  a  discoid  hold-fast,  to  rocks,  stones, 
wood-work,  and  other  Algae,  from  low-tide  mark  to 
a  depth  of  several  fathoms.  It  is  not  found  north 
of  Cape  Cod,  but  may  be  looked  for  in  all  waters 
south  of  that  point.  I  have  collected  it,  in  July, 
at  Fort  Hamilton,  and  along  the  beach  toward 
Coney  island,  in  great  abundance  —  splendid  fronds, 
two  feet  long — along-  with  that  most  brilHant  Amer- 
ican Alga  Grinnellia  Americana.  I  have  collected 
it  also  in  fine  condition  at  Newport,  east  of  the 
first  beach,  as  late  as  October  4th.  In  a  breezy 
but  not  unpleasant  walk,  which  I  took  along  the 
shore    from    Falmouth    to    Wood's    Holl,    beneath    a. 


140  SEA  MOSSES. 

gray,  November  sky,  and  the  sea  a  steel  blue,  cold 
and  angry,  I  found  this  among  the  most  plentiful 
of  the  late  autumnal  "Sea  Mosses."  Displayed  with 
taste,  it  makes  an  elegant  picture  on  paper.  A 
comparatively  light  pressure  should  be  put  on  it  at 
first,  in  drying,  else  its  tender  frond  will  be  crushed 
and  ruined. 


Genus.— FOLYSIFHONIA*  Grev. 

This  is  the  largest  genus  of  Red  Algae.  Agardh 
in  his  latest  work,  enumerates  no  less  than  129  un- 
doubted species.  Many  more  have  been  proposed 
by  other  writers.  About  thirty  species  belong  to 
our  American  flora.  But  several  of  them  are  pecu- 
liar to  the  sub-tropical  region  of  Florida,  and  will 
not  come  within  our  reach.  Others  are  too  rare  or 
insignificant  to  be  enumerated  in  this  work.  But 
all  such  as  are  likely  to  be  met  with,  at  all 
common,  will  be  described.  The  color  of  these 
plants  ranges  between  the  browns  and  a  full  black; 
only  three,  herein  described,  show  traces  of  red : 
P.  urceolata^  commonly,  and  P.  violacea  and  P. 
Olneyi,  occasionally.  On  the  fertile  fronds,  the 
beautiful,   little   egg-shaped   fruit-holders   will    be   easily 

♦    Polysiphonia  ==  Many    tubes ;    referring  to  the  internal  structure  of  the 
frond. 


RED    ALG^.  141 

discovered    with    the    naked    eye.      The    FolysiphonicB 
form  a  marked  feature  of  the  marine  flora  of  every  sea. 

POLYSIPHONIA     FASTIGIATA,     GrEV. 

The  pointed  PolysipJionia  is  very  common  on  the 
north  Atlantic  coast,  growing  as  a  parasite  on  Fiiciis 
nodostis,  and  rarely  on  F.  vesiculosus.  Prof.  Kj ell- 
man  reports  it  growing  on  Halosaccion  ra7neiitaceum, 
in  Spitzbergen.  It  looks  not  unlike  a  little  dark 
brown  or  black  ball  or  tassel,  attached  to  the  ends 
of  the  Furtts,  from  three-fourths  of  an  inch  to  one 
and  one-half  inches  in  diameter.  Examined  closely 
it  will  be  seen  to  be  a  dense  tuft  of  stiff,  wire-like 
filaments,  many  times  forked  from  the  base,  with 
wide  axils.  The  apices  being  nearly  all  the  same 
length,  the  tufts  look  ''clipped"  all  around  like  a 
thorn  bush.  In  mounting,  it  does  not  adhere  to 
paper.  But  thinly  spread  out,  in  the  almost  perfect 
circle  which  its  black  frond  so  naturally  assumes,  it 
makes  a  very  pretty  appearance  on  the  white  paper. 
It  may  be  found  at  all  seasons  and  so  common 
that  I  need  not  name  special  localities. 

POLYSIPHONIA    URCEOLATA,    GrEV. 

The  specific  name  refers  to  the  fruit -vessel,  which 
is   thought   to   resemble   a   little   pitcher   or  jug.     The 


142  SEA   MOSSES. 

plant  is  very  common  throughout  the  season  on  the 
northern  shores  of  both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
Oceans. 

It  is  somewhat  variable  in  appearance,  yet  when 
once  seen,  it  is  ever  afterwards  easily  recognized. 
The  filaments  are  much  finer  and  sotter  than  in  the 
last  species,  and  grow  in  a  loose  tuft,  four  to  eight 
inches  high.  When  taken  from  the  water  the  plant 
is  flaccid  and  silky,  with  a  deep,  full,  rich  red  color. 
But  when  mounted  on  paper,  dry,  the  filaments  are 
rigid  and  bristly  to  the  touch,  and  turn  to  a  dark 
brown  or  black  with  a  reddish  shade,  generally,  in 
places,  or  over  the  whole  plant.  The  main  stems 
are  from  one  to  three  times  the  thickness  of  a 
human  hair.  They  are  much  branched.  But  the 
branches,  though  somewhat  spiney  below,  do  not 
themselves  branch  till  they  have  attained  a  consider- 
able length,  when  they  divide  and  sub-divide  rapidly, 
making  the  upper  portion  of  the  frond  assume  a 
dense  and  bushy  look. 

In  spreading  out  on  paper,  it  naturally  takes  a 
fan -shaped  outline,  with  a  tendency  in  the  main 
branches  to  separate  from  each  other,  and  in  the 
finer  varieties  to  appear  twisted.  When  dried  and 
pressed,  there  is  often  a  glossy  and  silk-like  appear- 
ance to  the  specimen. 


RED    ALGJE.  143 

The  variety  formosa  is  really  very  beautiful  as 
its  name  implies.  It  is  distinguished  from  the  typical 
form,  by  its  much  finer  and  silkier  filaments,  and 
by  its  retaining  its  rich,  red-brown  color  when  dried 
on  paper. 

The  open  variety,  patens,  is  not  uncommon,  is 
more  rigid  than  the  typical  form,  and  its  end  branch- 
lets  are  recurved.  The  species  grows  on  rocks, 
and  sometimes  on  the  stems  of  Laminaria  fiexicattlts, 
in  pools,  and  not  far  below  low  tide.  I  found  it 
very  plentiful  in  July  and  August,  floating  in  the 
sea,  by  the  rocky  shore  at  Clifton,  Marblehead, 
and  took  scores  of  fine  specimens,  including  every 
variety  of  form.  I  have  some  exquisite  plants  of 
the  var.  formosa,  taken  by  my  friend,  A.  R.  Young, 
at  College  Point,  L.  I.,  as  eariy  as  May  6th. 

POLYSIPHONIA     HaRVEYI,     BaIL. 

This  is  a  common  and  very  distinct  species.  I 
have  found  it  in  our  northern  waters,  growing  most 
commonly  upon  Zoskra,  or  "  Eel-grass."  In  the  water 
it  has  a  marked  bushy,  or  shrub-like  aspect,  with 
stiff  branches  spreading  out  widely  in  every  direction, 
so  that  the  plant  makes  a  globose  outline. 

Each  tuft  is  a  single  frond,  stout  at  the  base, 
as   thick   as   a  bristle,    but    the    parts    gradually  atten- 


144  SBA  MOSSES, 

uating  as  they  branch.  It  grows  to  the  height  of 
from  one  to  three  inches,  and  sometimes  more.  I 
have  found  it  at  Wood's  Holl,  five  inches  high.  It 
is  invariably  dark  brown  or  black  on  paper,  does 
not  colapse  when  taken  from  the  water,  and  is 
covered  pretty  thickly,  main  stem  and  branches, 
with  thorn-like,  simple  or  branched  spines,  one-tenth 
of  an  inch  or  less  long.  The  arietina,  or  "ram's 
horn "  variety,  has  the  end  branchlets  and  spines 
recurved  or  hooked.  At  Peconic  Bay,  Harvey  says, 
the  natives  call  this  variety  "  Nigger  hair."  I  have 
found  the  common  form  plentiful  at  Silver  Spring, 
Providence  River,  Wood's  Holl,  and  Marblehead,  in 
July  and  August.  Miss  Booth  reports  it  at  Peconic 
Bay,  in  September.  Mr.  Collins,  at  Lynn  beach,  on 
Zostera,  as  late  as  October,  and  Mrs.  Davis  finds 
it  all  summer  in  the  "  Mill  Pond,"  at  Gloucester. 

POLYSIPHONIA     OlNEYI,     HaRV. 

It  is  agreed  by  Dr.  Farlow  and  Prof.  Eaton 
that  this  is  but  an  extreme  variety  of  P.  Harveyi, 
and  Dr.  Farlow  is  of  the  opinion  that  both  species 
are  identical  with  the  older  European  species,  P. 
spinulosa^  Grev.  P.  Olneyi  differs  from  P.  Harveyi,  in 
being  a  somewhat  larger  plant,  composed  of  much 
softer,     and     finer     filaments,     longer     and     straighter 


RED    ALG^.  145 

branches^  often  with  a  very  decided  and  sometimes 
even  brilliant  pink  color,  though  the  more  common 
color  is  purple  brown.  It  is  common  in  Long 
Island  Sound  on  Zostera,  and  Dr.  Farlow  gives  the 
popular  name  for  it  there  as  "Doughballs." 

POLYSIPHONIA    VARIEGATA,*    AG. 

This  plant  has  something  the  same  habit  as  F. 
Olneyi,  only  that  it  is  larger  and  more  robust,  grow- 
ing often  to  the  height  of  six  to  ten'^  inches.  Start- 
ing at  the  base  with  a  filament  no  thicker  than  a 
bristle,  a  half  an  inch  up,  it  divides  into  two  or  more 
widely  spreading  branches.  These  again  divide  in 
the  same  way  into  long  unclothed  branchlets. 
Within  an  inch  of  the  extremity  of  the  frond, 
sometimes  half  way  back,  all  the  branches  rapidly 
divide,  into  long,  silky  filaments,  of  a  light  brown 
color.  The  normal  appearance  of  the  plant  on 
paper,  then,  is  that  of  a  quarter  or  third  seg- 
ment of  a  wheel,  with  the  bare  spokes  radiating  to 
a  rim  an  inch  or  so  wide,  sometimes  half  the 
width  of  the  frond,  which  is  made  up  of  these 
brown  pencils  of  fine  capillary  filaments.  It  is  quite 
unmistakable  when  once  seen.  It  grows  parasitical 
on   Zoster  a.      It    is    said    to    be    a    winter    plant    in 

*  Variegata  •=■  Variegated  or  parti-colored. 


146  SEA  MOSSES. 

Charleston  Harbor,  South  Carolina,  but  is  found 
common  along  the  southern  shores  of  New  York 
and  New  England  in  summer.  I  found  it  abundant 
in  Providence  River  and  at  Onset  Bay,  and  once 
in  Danversport,  Mass.,  the  only  time,  I  believe,  it 
has  ever  been  seen  growing  north  of  Cape  Cod. 

POLYSIPHONIA    ELONGATA,*     GrEV. 

The  three  Polysiphonice  to  be  next  described  have, 
according  to  the  books,  so  many  points  of  resem- 
blance that  you  will  be  at  a  loss  to  distinguish  them 
apart  if  you  depend  upon  the  technical  account 
which  the  books  give.  And  yet,  when  you  have 
once  seen  them,  side  by  side,  you  will  never  again 
have  any  difficulty  in  recognizing  them,  and  you  will 
wonder  why  it  is  that  written  descriptions  cannot 
make  clear  differences  which  are  so  obvious  to  the 
eye.  The  color  of  the  three  is  much  the  same, 
running  from  a  dark  brown,  in  old  specimens  of  P. 
fibrillosa,  through  several  shades  of  light  brown  to  a 
pink  in  some  plants  of  both  F.  violacia  and  P.  elon- 
gata.  I  will  try  to  point  out  the  distinguishing 
marks  of  the  latter  species,  P.   elongata : 

I.  The  main  stem  is  robust,  cartilagenous,  coarse 
as   a  pack-thread,   and   under  the   pocket   lens   visibl) 

Elongata  =  Elongated. 


RED   ALG^.  147 

Jointed  in  the  upper  half,  as  are  also  all  the  branches. 
Sometimes  there  is  a  main  leading  stem  and  some- 
times not.  The  branches  are  irregularly  placed,  but 
divide  and  sub-divide  in  a  manner  between  forking 
and  branching.  2.  The  axils  of  the  sub-divisions 
are  narrow,  so  that  the  branchlets  seem  to  cluster 
together.  3.  Owing  to  the  great  length  of  the 
secondary  branches  and  branchlets,  the  plant  gives 
the  impression  of  reaching  out  and  trying  to  extend 
itself.  4.  The  branches  seem  to  maintain  their  orig- 
inal thickness  almost  to  the  tips.  5.  On  the  ulti- 
mate branchlets  will  be  found  many  short  ramuli, 
which  taper  to  base  aad  apex  like  those  of  Chon- 
driopsis  temiissijna.  6.  Growing  mostly  through  the 
same  regions  as  P.  violacea,  it  is  yet,  as  compared 
with  that  species,  if  not  distinctly  rare,  certainly 
very  infrequent. 

The  winter  form  of  this  plant,  when  the  finer 
branchlets  are  fallen  away,  is  an  exaggeration  of 
some  of  its  summer  aspects.  The  great  length  of 
its  bare,  slender,  unclothed  branches  gives  it  a  pecu- 
liar and  really  uninteresting  appearance.  In  this 
state  the  natives  call  it  "lobster  horns,"  or  "lob- 
ster claws,"  because  of  its  supposed  resemblance  to 
the  long,  slender  antennce.  of  that  creature.  The 
winter  plant  very  imperfectly  ac^heres  to  paper. 


148  SBA  MOSSES, 

This  is  a  deep-water  species,  and  is  reported 
as  not  common  all  along  the  coast  from  New  York 
to  Gloucester. 

POLYSIPHONIA   VIOLACEA,    GrEV.* 

This  is  by  far  our  most  common  Polysiphonia^ 
considerably  outranking  even  P.  ui'ceolata.  It  grows 
everywhere  on  the  rocks  and  on  several  other  Algae,  in 
pools  and  in  deep  water,  as  well  as  just  below  tide. 
I  take  it  often  as  it  comes  in  upon  the  waves,  with 
my  long-handled  dipper,  picking  out  the  plants  I  want, 
from  among  the  hundreds  which  go  floating  by,  up  and 
down. 

The  stem  is  once  or  twice  as  thick  as  a  bristle. 
Beautiful  plants  may  be  found,  not  more  than  two 
or  three  inches  high ;  but  plants  from  twelve  to  eighteen 
inches  high,  are  by  no  means  uncommon. 

The  distinguishing  marks  of  the  species  are  mainly 
these :  i .  The  presence  of  a  leading  stem,  branched 
all  around  in  all  the  fronds.  Sometimes  there  will 
seem  to  be  two  or  three  main  stems.  But  this  appear- 
ance arises  from  the  extraordinary  development  of 
some  of  the  lower  branches.  2.  The  form  of  the 
primary  branches,  which  are  long  and  somewhat  widely 
spreading  at  the   base,    but    become    regularly  shorter 

♦  Violacea  =  Violet  colored. 


RED    ALG^.  149 

towards  the  top  of  the  plant.  3.  The  secondary  and 
remaining  branches,  which  are  short,  alternately  much 
divided  and  subdivided  again  and  again,  until  they 
terminate  in  very  slender  ramuli,  which  form  feathery 
brown  and  sometimes  violet  tufts  at  the  ends,  constituting 
the  chief  beauty  of  the  plant.  4.  Consequent  upon 
this  method  of  branching,  the  plant  has  a  marked 
tendency  to  assume  perfect  arborescent  forms.  I  have 
plenty  of  plants  a  foot  or  more  high,  which  almost 
exactly  resemble  the  great  oaks  and  maples  of  the 
forest,  and  others  which  are  perfect  miniature  images 
of  the  firs  and  pines,  with  their  regular,  tapering,  cone- 
like  outline.  Our  figure  in  Plate  VI.,  which  is  a  very 
perfect  copy  of  a  plant  in  my  herbarium,  could  easily 
be  mistaken  for  a  good  picture  of  a  forest  tree.  5. 
The  stem  and  main  branches  are  inarticulate.  6.  The 
universal  distribution  and  great  plentifuhiess  of  the 
species  along  our  whole  eastern  coast. 

It  is  an  extremely  variable  plant,  and  yet  the  type 
seems  to  be  as  well  adhered  to  as  in  most  Algae.  Many 
plants,  especially  those  growing  in  deep  water,  are 
very  robust  and  bushy.  On  the  whole  it  is  our  most 
interesting  and  beautiful  Atlantic  Polysiphonia. 

POLYSIPHONIA    FIBRILLOSA,    GREV. 

This   is   by    far   the    rarest   of    this    group    of  Poly- 


150  SEA  MOSSES. 

siphonicE.  If  found  at  all  north  of  Cape  Cod,  it  must 
be  very  rare.  I  found  some  good  specimens  of  it  at 
Wood's  Holl,  the  last  day  of  July,  and  Dr.  Farlow 
reports  it  at  Newport,  and  Noank,  Conn.  Miss  Booth 
at  Orient  Point,  and  in  Long  Island  Sound.  It  is  a 
summer  annual,  and  grows  in  deep  water,  from  threQ 
to  six  and  eight  inches  high.  The  main  stem  in  the 
larger  plants  is  as  thick  as  a  pack  thread  at  the  base, 
but  it  is  soon  lost  in  the  multitude  of  long,  large 
spreading  branches,  which  it  throws  out  on  every  side, 
so  that  there  is  no  leading  stem  in  this  as  in  the  last 
species.  The  primary  branches  are  long  and  are  them- 
selves irregularly  and  profusely  branched,  into  secondary 
branches,  which  are  much  shorter.  These  again  branch 
in  the  same  way,  and  the  tertiary  branches  are  usually 
covered  with  spines,  not  unlike  those  of  P.  Harveyi. 
But  the  spines  are  clothed  with  a  dense  growth  of 
colorless  fibril  Is,  so  fine  as  to  be  individually  almost 
or  quite  invisible,  but  in  the  mass,  border  all  the 
branchlets,  as  they  are  displayed  on  paper,  with  a 
light  brown  "  halo  "  or  ''  mist."  This  is  the  character- 
istic point,  and  will  identify  the  plant  unmistakably, 
for  it  is  almost  always  present.  The  plant  gets  its 
specific  name  from  these  fibrills.  The  color  of  the 
plant  ranges  from  a  light  to  a  dark  brown,  often  even 
to   near  a  full  black.     In  general  appearance  the  plant 


RED    ALG^.  151 

is  not  unlike  an  enlarged,  exaggerated,  and  very  spiney 
F.  Harveyi.  Unlike  P.  elongata,  the  branches  are 
robust,  somewhat  bent  at  various  sharp  turns  and 
angles,  and  the  parts  rapidly  diminish  in  size  from  base 
to  apex,  as  they  throw  out  branches  and  branchlets. 

POLYSIPHONIA   NIGRESCENS,*    GrEV. 

This  is  an  extremely  variable  plant,  not  uncommon 
along  our  whole  east  coast,  and  identified  by  one 
or  two  distinguishing  marks.  It  is  a  perennial  and 
grows  in  rock  pools  and  deep  water.  It  is  almost 
quite  black,  or  very  dark  brown,  when  mounted  and 
dry.  It  has  a  leading  stem,  though  this  is  not  always 
easy  to  make  out ;  it  may,  however,  usually  be  detected, 
as  more  or  less  prominent.  It  is  not  commonly  larger 
than  a  bristle.  A  microscopical  dissection  of  it,  shows 
it  to  consist  of  from  twelve  to  eighteen  tubes,  arranged 
around  a  central  tube,  a  singular  diversity  of  habit 
in  a  species  whose  generic  congeners  are  generally 
so  constant  to  their  type,  in  this  respect.  Harvey  says 
the  best  general  marks  of  the  species  are  its  many 
tubed  internodes  of  moderate  length,  easily  visible 
with  a  lens ;  and  its  decompound  regularly  pinnate 
method  of  branching.  The  branches  divide  and  sub- 
divide," alternately    twice    or    thrice    in    a    very   regular 

*  Nigrescens  =  black. 


152  SEA  MOSSES. 

way.  This  constitutes  the  chief  beauty,  as  it  is  the 
most  conspicuous  peculiarity  of  the   plant. 

The  ultimate  ramuli  of  the  young  plants,  and  of 
the  young  parts  of  the  old  ones,  are  apt  to  be  fibrilU- 
iferous,  in  a  manner  not  unlike  F.  fibrillosa,  but  the 
method  of  branching  and  the  general  aspect  of  the 
plant  will  easily  distinguish  it  from  that. 

It  is  reported  all  along  the  coast  from  Halifax  to 
New  York.  Miss  Booth  found  it  rare  at  Peconic 
Bay.  I  found  many  specimens  of  it  at  Wood's  Holl, 
but  took  none  at  Newport,  all  summer.  During  several 
years'  collecting  at  Marblehead,  I  do  not  remember 
to  have  seen  it  there,  though.  Mr.  Collins  finds  it 
abundant  along  that  coast,  and  Mrs.  Davis  collects 
it  all  summer,  on  Canal   Beach,  Gloucester. 

POLYSIPHONIA    BaILEYI,    Ag. 

The  three  following  California  members  of  this 
gen 'IS  which  I  shall  undertake  to  give  an  account  of, 
I  have  put  by  themselves,  not  on  account  of  natural 
affinity,  but  for  convenience  of  describing  them.  And 
yet  they  are  not  far  apart  in  the  natural  system.  This 
is  certainly  a  very  distinct  and  well  marked  species, 
like  P.  fastigiata,  one  which  when  once  seen  can  never 
be  forgotten,  or  be  henceforth  unrecognized. 

It  grows   from   three   to  six  inches  high,  the   stem 


RED    ALG^.  153 

at  first  nearly  round,  more  than  twice  as  thick  as  a 
bristle,  soon  flattened  and  then  immediately  and 
irregularly  much  branched.  All  the  branches  spring 
from  the  edges  of  the  flattened  stem,  and  the  branches 
themselves  being  flattened  in  the  same  plane  with  the 
stem,  and,  giving  out  branchlets  along  their  edges,  the 
whole  plant  is  built  up  in  one  plane.  The  main 
branches  spread  widely,  and  are  irregularly  placed. 
But  the  secondary  branches  are  very  regularly  alternate, 
the  one-tenth  of  an  inch  or  so  apart.  Toward  the 
base  of  the  branches,  in  all  the  old  or  full  grown 
plants,  these  branchlets  will  be  found  broken  off, 
leaving  nothing  but  short  stumps.  The  branchlets 
themselves  consist  of  a  short  stem,  one-eighth  to  one- 
half  an  inch  long,  clothed  on  each  side  and  at  the 
top  all  around  with  very  short,  alternate  simple  or 
compound  awl-shaped,  incurved  ramuli.  These  branch- 
lets  are  generally  about  the  same  length  along  the 
sides  of  the  branches,  but  here  and  there  one  will 
shoot  out  beyond  the  others,  and  sometimes  it  will 
put  out  branchlets  like  a  primary  branch. 

Dr.  Anderson  reports  it  scarce  at  Santa  Cruz,  on 
rocky  beaches,  all  the  year  around.  Mrs.  Bingham, 
and  Dr.  Dimmick,  find  it  very  common,  thrown  up 
on  the  beach,  and  growing  on  small  rocks,  in  all 
seasons,   at   Santa   Barbara.      Mr.    Cleveland   reports    it 


154  SEA  MOSSES. 

common  at  San  Diego.  It  is  among  the  most  com- 
mon forms  that  come  to  me  from  my  correspondents 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  The  color  is  a  full  black.  It 
adheres  very  imperfectly  to  paper. 

The   artist   has   very   excellently   represented   a  frond 
of  this  species,  in  Plate  VIII. 

POLYSIPHONIA     PARASITICA,     GrEV. 

This  species  in  many  respects,  and  especially  in 
general  aspect  and  outline,  resembles  the  last,  but 
differs  from  it  by  being  smaller,  of  a  much  finer 
and  more  delicate  substance,  and  lighter  color,  which 
is  usually  a  light  reddish  brown.  I  have  never  seen 
typical  forms  of  this  species  over  two  inches  high. 
The  figure  in  Plate  VII,  excellently  well  pictures 
not  only  the  color  but  every  characteristic  feature  of 
this  very  beautiful  plant.  The  stem,  branches  and 
branchlets  are  all  flattened  and  branch  from  the  two 
edges,  primary  branches  irregularly  and  very  widely, 
secondary  regularly,  widely,  alternately.  The  secondary 
branches  are  mostly  little  plumes,  or  themselves 
bearers  along  their  edges  of  little  plumes.  The 
branching  of  all  the  small  parts,  even  to  the 
minutest,  is  regularly  alternate.  This  gives  the  plant 
a  very  delicate,  feathery  appearance,  very  greatly  like 
the   finer   fronds   of  Ptilota  plumosa.     My   correspond- 


RED    ALG.^.  155 

ents  report  it  extremely  common  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia, but  somewhat  rare  in  the  north,  growing  upon 
the  large  rocks  and  upon  other  Algae,  and  in  tide 
pools,  all  the  year  around. 

Variety  dendtoidea,  differs  more  in  appearance 
from  the  normal  form  than  do  some  fully  differ- 
entiated species,  and  yet,  after  a  careful  examination, 
you  will  find  that  the  difference  consists  fundamentally 
in  the  branching  being  made  at  a  much  more  acute 
angle  in  the  variety  than  in  the  typical  form.  The 
frond  stretches  out  to  a  considerably  greater  length, 
four  or  five  inches  sometimes,  "long,  slim  and  slender" 
in  appearance.  The  main  branches  are  placed  at  irreg- 
ular intervals,  but  the  secondary,  at  regular  intervals, 
alternate.  From  the  extreme  narrow  angle,  at  which 
the  parts  branch,  they  all  appear  to  hug  close  to  the 
main  stems,  which  gives  the  slender,  narrow  look  to 
the  frond,  and  effectually  prevents  the  beautiful 
plumose  aspect,  which  is  seen  in  the  who'.e  plant, 
and  in  its  smallest  parts,  in  the  normal  form.  The 
color  of  this  variety  is  a  full  black,  or  a  very  dark 
brown.  In  the  young  parts  of  both  varieties,  the 
interior  joints  of  the  fronds  may  be  easily  seen  with 
a  pocket  lens.  This  variety  seems  to  be  even  more 
common  along  the  whole  coast  than  the  normal  form. 
It  does  not  adhere  to  paper. 


156  SEA   MOSSES. 

POLYSIPHONIA    WOODII,     HaRV. 

Although  this  plant  seems  to  be  built  on  the  same 
general  plan  as  the  other  two  California  species, 
already  described,  it  is  yet  sufficiently  distinct  to  be 
not  only  a  good  species,  but  also  easily  recognized. 
The  stem  is.  perhaps,  twice  the  size  of  a  bristle, 
divided  from  near  the  bottom  into  loug,  spreading 
branches,  the  whole  plant  being  from  four  to  six 
inches  high.  All  the  parts  are  flattened,  the  younger 
visibly  articulate,  and  branch  from  the  edges  in  one 
plane.  The  secondary  branches  also  separate  with 
wide  axils,  but  give  out  their  branches  at  narrower 
angles,  while  the  ultimate,  awl-shaped  ramuli  are  much 
inclined  to  be  incurved,  rarely  to  spread  widely.  The 
plant  varies  much  in  particular  respects,  depending 
much,  I  find,  upon  whether  it  bear  the  sexual  or 
asexual  fruit,  or  be  sterile ;  but  the  difference  usually 
consists  in  the  lengthening  or  shortening  of  the  parts 
of  the  plants,  some  being  thick,  dense  and  bushy, 
others  slender,  spreading  and  feathery.  It  is  very 
common  at  all  seasons.  Dr.  Anderson  says,  at  Santa 
Cruz,  growing  chiefly  on  Macrocysfis,  and,  therefore, 
of  course,  in  deep  water.  Dr.  Dimmick  collects  it 
on  the  beach  at  Santa  Barbara,  and  Mrs.  Bingham 
gets  It  there,  early  in  the  season,  upon  Halidrys, 
also.      It   adheres  well  to   paper  and   makes,   in   most 


RED    ALG^.  157 


cases,  a  very   pretty   specimen.     The    color  is    a   light 


brown. 


Qenus.—  RHODOMELA*   Ag, 


Rhodomela  subfusca,  Ag. 

The  ^ark  brown  Rhodomela  is  a  common  plant 
along  our  shores,  from  New  York  northward.  It 
seems  to  be  quite  at  home  in  all  northern  seas,  as 
it  has  been  found  in  Nova  Zembla,  and  the  Ochotsch 
Sea,  as  well  as  in  all  northern  Europe  and  America. 
The  ripe,  robust,  black,  typical  form  is  far  from 
handsome ;  but  the  young  plants,  which  go  under 
the  variety  names  of  Rochii  and  gracilis,  are  ex- 
tremely beautiful.  It  is  a  perennial,  and  its  winter 
and  summer  aspects  differ  greatly.  In  the  winter 
all  the  finer  portions  of  the  frond  fall  away,  leaving 
the  long,  lateral  branches,  and  the  main  stem  stand- 
ing stiff,  naked,  dark  and  ungainly.  But  in  the 
spring  and  early  summer,  when  it  is  clothed  in  a 
new  growth  of  delicate  brown  branchlets,  it  is  a  very 
graceful  and  charming  plant. 

It  is  found  attached,  by  a  thin  discoid  hold- 
fast,   to    rocks,    stones,    and    shells,    near     or     below 

*  P-hodonjela       Red-blade 


158  SEA  MOSSES. 

low-water  mark  The  fronds  are  from  six  to  twelve 
inSies  high,  cylindrical,  as  thick  as  a  pack-thread, 
in  full-grown  plants,  much  slenderer  in  others,  fine 
as  thread  or  hair  in  young  plants,  and  in  var. 
Rochii.  In  the  common  form,  the  main  stem  and 
branches  are  cartilaginous,  stiff,  and  when  dry,  hard 
and  harsh,  and  quite  black.  From  the  leading  stem, 
which  runs  to  the  top  of  the  plant,  the  branches 
spread  out  on  all  sides,  the  lower  being  the  longest, 
often  as  long  as  the  main  stem  —  gradually  short- 
ening towards  the  top.  The  branches  are  all  more 
or  less  naked  below.  But,  towards  the  end,  they 
divide  and  sub-divide  rapidly  in  alternate  ramifica- 
tions, so  that  the  small  branchlets  are  much 
crowded,  and,  on  paper,  the  primary  and  secondary 
branches  seem  thereby  to  terminate  in  little  brooms. 

This  is  true  only  of  the  full-grown,  typical  forms, 
and  of  the  var.  gracilis^  a  most  excellent  representa- 
tion of  which  appears  in  Plate  IX.  The  normal  form 
differs  from  this  only  in  being  more  robust,  of  a 
less  regular  habit,  and  of  a  much  darker  color. 
The  var,  Rochii  is  much  finer  and  softer,  and  the 
end  branches  are  quite  separate,  but  tipped  with  a 
very  fine  pencil  of  hairs.  This  is  the  early  spring 
form,  and  is  found  chiefly  south  of  Cape  Cod.  I 
have  an  exquisite   specimen   collected  by  Mr.   Young, 


RirODOMELA    Sl'HFUSCA,    Ai;'-       var.    GRACILIS 


PLATE  IX. 


RED    ALG^.  159 

of  Brooklyn,  as  early  as  March  27th.  Var.  gracilis 
is  more  common  in  our  northern  waters,  and  ap- 
proaches more  nearly  the  typical  form.  The  speci- 
mens in  my  herbarium  are  of  a  rich,  slightly  reddish 
brown  color.  Whoever  will  take  the  trouble  to  look 
for  this  plant  in  the  early  spring,  will  find  it  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  of  our  marine  flora. 

Rhodomela   larix,*   Ag. 

This  and  the  next  species  grow  on  the  California, 
and  north  western  coast.  R.  larix  is  an  arctic 
species  which  has  made  its  way  as  far  south  as 
Santa  Cruz  and  Monterey,  but  appears  south  of  there, 
only  as  a  rarity.  It  has  been  found  at  Santa  Bar- 
bara, by  Mrs.  Bingham,  in  May ;  and  in  January 
and  March,  by  Mr.  Cleveland,  thrown  up  from  deep 
water  at  La  Jolla  Point,  San  Diego.  It  was  brought 
from  Nootka  Sound,  by  Menzies,  more  than  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  ago,  and  described  and  fig- 
ured by  Turner,  in  his  unequalled  "  Historia 
Fucorum."  Dr.  Anderson  reports  it  as  very  plen- 
tiful at  Santa  Cruz,  and  northward,  growing  there 
at  all  seasons,  on  the  shelving  rocks  of  soft  sand- 
stone or  shale. 

The     frond    is     robust,     cylindrical,     thick     as     a 

Larix  =  Laic 


100  SEA  MOSSES. 

crow's  quill,  from  six  to  fourteen  inches  long ;  at 
first  unbranched,  but  soon  much  branched  all  around, 
with  limbs  of  various  length,  which  stand  out 
straight  from  the  main  stem.  Branches  from  one  to 
four  and  five  inches  long,  according  to  the  size  oi 
the  plant. 

The  distinguishing  mark  of  the  species  is  the 
presence  upon  both  stem  and  branches,  of  little 
tufts,  or  clusters  of  incurved  ramuli.  They  are 
spirally  placed,  but  when  the  plant  is  mounted,  they 
seem  to  be  alternate.  They  are  commonly  so  far 
separated  as  to  be  quite  distinct,  and  are  not  more 
than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long.  Color  of  the 
plant  when  dry,  a  jet  black. 

Rhodomela  floccosa,*  Ag. 
This  species  differs  from  the  other  in  many 
marked  points.  It  is  less  •  robust  in  habit ;  the  stem 
and  branches  are  flattened ;  the  whole  frond  is 
divided  and  sub-divided  in  one  plane ;  the  branches 
are  alternately  set  upon  the  stem,  and  once  or  twice 
alternately  divided ;  the  ultimate  ramuli  are  some- 
what incurved,  but  not  clustered  as  in  the  other 
species.  In  fertile  plants,  the  last  divisions  at  the 
end  of  the    branches    are    more    or   less   gathered  into 

*  Floccosa  =  Full  of   locks  of   wool. 

\ 


RED    ALG^^.  161 

a  mass,  as  in  the  whole  genus,  but  in  a  far  dif- 
ferent way  from  the  thick  tufts  of  R.  larix.  In 
truth,  the  plant  very  much  resembles  the  fronds  of 
Polysiphonia  Baileyi,  for  which  it  will  be  more  often 
mistaken  than  for  any  other  species.  You  will  get 
a  good  idea  of  the  general  appearance  of  the  plant, 
by  consulting  Plate  VIII.  It  differs  from  P.  Baileyi 
chiefly,  in  being  somewhat  more  coarse  and  robust. 

The  main  stem,  in  plants  four  inches  high,  is 
not  much  larger  than  a  bristle.  It  is  found  from 
four  to  ten  inches  long.  Color,  a  full  black.  It 
grows  at  Santa  Cruz,  on  the  rocks,  in  the  same 
situation  as  its  companion  species,  but  is  much  less 
common,  and  is  collected  from  September  to  Novem- 
ber. At  Santa  Barbara,  Dr.  Dimmick  found  it 
common  near  the  lighthouse,  and  Mrs.  Bingham  says 
it  is  very  common  there  all  the  year  around,  growing 
with  Polysiphonia  parasitica.  My  specimens  from 
there  are  mingled  with  plants  of  that  species. 


Geuus—  CHONDRIOPSIS*   Ag. 

This  genus  is  represented  by  three  common  species 
on  our  New  England  coast,  and  by  one  on  the 
coast   of    California.     The   Adantic   species   all   belong 

*  Chondriopsis  =  Somewhat  cartilaginovs. 


162  SEA  MOSSES. 

to  the  warmer  regions,  and  grow  south  of  Cape 
Cod,  but  grow  there  in  great  abundance.  Though 
not  a  very  striking  or  beautiful  genus,  it  is  yet  far 
from  being  uninteresting.  It  is  characterized  by  two 
marks  which  make  it  extremely  easy  of  recognition, 
viz. :  The  uniform  light  or  dull  brown  color  when 
fresh ;  and  the  fact  that  the  stems  and  branches 
are  pretty  thickly  covered  with  short  club  or  spindle- 
shaped  ramuH.  These  ramuli,  which'  are  from  one- 
eighth  to  one- half  of  an  inch  long,  are  very  much 
constricted  at  the  base,  often  seeming  to  be  attached 
by  the  finest  thread,  or  hair,  to  the  plant.  In  three 
of  the  species  they  taper  to  a  fine  point  at  the 
extremity,  and  in  the  other,  C.  dasyphylla,  they  are 
very  blunt  at  the  end,  shaped  not  unlike  a  boy's 
top.  The  plants  should  not  be  put  in  fresh  water, 
and    should     be      dried     under     comparatively     light 

pressure. 

Chondriopsis  tenuissima,   Ag. 

This,  as  its  name  implies,  is  the  slenderest  of 
the  several  species.  It  grows  from  four  to  six 
inches  high,  with  an  undivided  stem  once  or  twice 
as  thick  as  a  bristle,  with  long,  spreading,  mostly 
alternate  branches,  sometimes  simple,  sometimes  them- 
selves branched  in  the  same  way,  and  furnished 
throughout,  more   or  less,  abundantly  with   the  charac- 


RED    ALGyE.  163 

teristic   ramuli,    one-fourth    to    one-halt    an    inch   long, 

slender    and    attenuated    to     a    sharp    point,    both    at 

the  top   and  at   the   place   of  insertion  on  the  branch. 

In    drying,    the    plant    adheres    well     to    paper.       It 

grows  between   tides,    on   Fucus   and  on   rocks.      It  is 

a  summer   annual,    inhabiting   Long    Island    Sound  and 

adjacent   waters.      I   have  collected  it  only   at   Wood's 

Holl.     Miss    Booth   reports    it    in   great   abundance    in 

Peconic  Bay. 

Chondriopsis   striolata,   Ag. 

Frond  from  four  to  six  inches  high,  twice  as 
thick  as  a  bristle,  with  a  short  stem,  soon  dividing 
into  many  long,  simple,  or  ouce  or  twice  compound 
branches.  The  branches  rise  somewhat  perpendic- 
ularly, and  make  a  compact  tuft  of  the  plant.  The 
ramuli  are  very  plentiful,  much  constricted  at  the 
base,  somewhat  rounded  at  the  apex ;  standing  near 
the  next  species,  in  this  respect,  as  it  does  near 
the  last  in  its  slender  habit.  The  ramuli  not  unfre- 
quently  bear  like  secondary  ramuli  along  their  sides. 
This  is  the  characteristic  point  in  the  plant,  though 
it  sometimes  occurs  in  C.  dasyphylla.  This  species 
grows  on  rocks  and  other  Algae,  in  pools,  between 
tides,  and  below.  I  have  taken  it,  at  low-tide,  in 
great  abundance,  on  the  rocks,  east  of  the  first 
beach,   at   Newport,    in   July  and  August.       It  is  plen- 


164  SEA  MOSSES. 

tiful  at  Peconic    Bay,     and    all    through     Long    Island 
Sound  and  southward. 

Chondriopsis  dasyphylla,*  Ag. 
This  is  a  considerably  more  robust  plant  than 
either  of  the  others  already  described,  growing  from 
six  to  twelve  inches  high  in  bushy  tufts,  the  main 
stem  and  branches  being  as  thick  as  wrapping  twine. 
There  seems  to  be,  at  least,  two  distinct  types,  or 
varieties,  of  this  species.  The  one  has  a  pronounced 
leading  stem,  with  relatively  shorter  and  more  erect 
branches,  and  the  ramuh  longer  and  less  blunt,  or 
only  rounded  at  the  apex,  like  those  of  C.  striolata. 
The  other  just  as  manifestly  divides  up  near  the 
base  into  several  long,  widely  spreading,  similar 
branches,  which  are  clothed  throughout  with  an 
abundance  of  short,  secondary  branches,  The  ramuli 
of  this  variety  present  the  typical  form,  much  at- 
tenuated at  the  base,  "short,  thick,  very  blunt,  top- 
shaped,  or  truncated  at  the  apex.  The  former  I 
found  very  plentiful  at  Newport,  in  July  and  August, 
growing  in  rock  pools,  near  low-tide,  and,  as  it 
lies  pressed  on  paper  before  me,  presents  a  mixture 
of  green  and  purple  color.  The  latter  was  among 
the    most   abundant   of  the    plants   in   the  Httle  harbor 

•Dasyphylla=  With  bushy  foliage. 


RED   ALG^E.  165 

at  Wood's   Holl,   the   last   days    of   October.      In   the 
water  it  was  oUve,  but  in  drying  it  turned  black. 

Chondriopsis   nidifica,    Harv.  { 

This  plant  is  a  native  of  the  Pacific  coast.  It 
grows  to  the  height  of  six  or  eight  inches,  as  thick 
as  a  sparrow's  quill,  cylindrical,  inarticulate,  sparingly 
branched,  in  a  manner  between  alternate  and  fork- 
ing. Branches  several  inches  long,  quite  simple,  or 
once  or  twice  forked.  The  branches  are  either  alto- 
gether naked,  or  bear,  at  considerable  intervals,  little 
tufts  of  short,  incurved  fruit-bearing  ramuli,  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  or  so,  long.  This  is  the  distinguishing 
feature  of  the  plant.  I  have  plants,  but  no  notes  of 
this  species,  from  my  correspondents  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  Another  species,  which  Agardh  reckons  the 
same  as  this,  C.  atropurpurea,  is  also  found  on  that 
coast.  I  have  specimens,  but  no  data  for  telling  how 
plentiful    it    is,    or   where    it  may  be  found. 


GexwAS.—  LAURENCJA*   La?n. 

But  three  species  of  this  genus  are  reported  on 
the  California  coast,  two  only  of  which  are  sufficiently 
common  to   come  within  the  scope  of  this  book. 

*  Laurencia. —  Named  for   M.   de   la   Laurencie. 


166  SEA  MOSSES, 

Laurencia  pinnatifida,*  Lam. 

Frond,  flattened,  narrow,  in  specimens  ten  inches 
4ong,  not  less  than  one-fourth  of  an  inch  wide ;  sub- 
stance cartilaginous,  thick ;  color  a  hvid  purple, 
becoming  brownish  in  drying,  and  often  faded  to 
every  shade,  down  to  a  dull  white,  and  not  seldom  so 
unevenly  faded,  that  you  will  get  every  sort  of  color 
in  the  different  parts  of  the  same  plant.  The  frond 
widens  somewhat  upwards,  arid  the  flattened  branches 
are  often  as  wide  as  the  main  stem.  The  stem  is 
usually  naked  at  the  base,  owing,  no  doubt,  as  the 
appearance  indicates,  to  the  breaking  off  of  the  lower 
branches.  An  inch  or  two  above  the  base  the  branches 
appear  upon  the  edges  of  the  flattened  stem,  opposite 
or  alternate,  at  an  angle  half  way  from  horizontal  to. 
perpendicular.  The  branches  themselves  are  branched 
in  the  same  way  with  flattened  branchlets  along  their 
edges,  and  in  rare  cases  these  again.  The  plant  is 
never  more  than  three  times  pinnatifid,  rarely  more  than 
twice.  The  ends  of  the  ultimate  pinnulae  are  always 
(juite  blunt. 

The  points  indicated  above  will  easily  identify  it. 
Dr.  Anderson  finds  it  growing  on  Laminaria,  not 
uncommon,  at   all   seasons,    at   Santa   Cruz.      At   Santa 

*  Pinnatifida  =  Pinnately  cleft. 


RED    ALG^.  1G7 

Barbara,  Dr.  Dimmick  and  Mrs.  Bingham  find  it  grow- 
ing near  low-tide,  and  in  deep  water,  upon  the  rocks, 
from  which  it  is  thrown  upon  the  beach.  Mr.  Cleve- 
land gives  substantially  the  same  account  of  its  habit 
at   San   Diego,   where  he  collects  it  from  November  to 

March. 

Laurencia  virgata,*  Ag. 

This  species  has  much  the  same  geographical  range 
as  the  last,  but  is  not  so  common,  I  judge,  from  the 
comparative  infrequency  with  which  specimens  find 
their  way  to  the  Atlantic  states.  It  differs  also,  in  being 
cylindrical  in  stem  and  branches,  and  by  having  the 
branches  set  all  around  the  stem,  and  not  on  two 
sides  only.  The  general  habit  of  the  branching, 
except  as  to  that,  is  much  like  the  last.  In  size, 
substance  and  color  it  greatly  resembles  Z.  pinnatifida. 


Order.—  CHYLOCLADIE^. 
Genus.—  CBYLOCLADIA,^   Grev. 

The  only  plant  which  later  revisions  have  left  in 
this  genus  from  our  flora  is  the  one  which  both  Harvey 
and  Agardh  call  Lomentaria  ovalis.  But  as  it  has 
been   lately   known,    and   distributed,    among    American 

*  Virgata,   refers   to  its   long,  rod-like,  branches, 
t  Chylocladia  =  Juicy-branched. 


IBS  SEA   MOSSES. 

botanists,    under    the    generic    name    given    above,   we 
will  adhere  to  that. 

Chylocladia  ovalis.  Hook. 
The  frond  is  cylindrical,  as  thick  as  a  goose  quill, 
six  or  more  inches  high,  forking  and  sparingly 
branched ;  the  stem  and  branches  are  densely  clothed 
near  the  summit,  with  ramuli,  which  resemble  little  sacks 
or  bags,  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  an  inch  long,  some- 
times shaped  like  an  Indian  club,  and  sometimes  like  an 
egg,  hence  the  specific  name.  It  grows,  Mr.  Cleveland 
says,  in  deep  water,  and  is  collected  as  a  rare  plant 
at  Point  Loma,  Lajolla,  between  December  and  April. 
The  var.  CouIte7i,  is  among  the  most  common  of  plants 
at  Santa  Barbara  growing  on  rocks  at  mid-tide  and 
in  deep  water.  It  is  not  rare  at  Santa  Cruz,  where 
Dr.  Anderson  finds  it  on  the  sides  of  soft  rock  cliffs, 
near  low-tide.      It  is  not  found  on  our  Atlantic  shores. 


Order.—  SPH^ROCOCCOIDE^. 
Ger\\xs  —  GRINNELLIA*  Barv. 


Grinnellia  Americana,  Harv. 
Somebody    says,    "  Doubtless    God    could    make    a 
better    fruit    than     the    strawberry,    but    doubtless    He 

•  Grinnellia.—  Named  for  Mr.  Henry  Grinnell,  New  York  Oty* 


RED    ALG.^.  100 

never  did."  So  may  we  say  of  this  Alga,  ''Doubtless 
the  Hand  that  fashioned  this  graceful  and  brilliant 
plant  could  make  a  finer.  But  it  is  tertain  He  never 
has,  to  grow  on  our  shores,  at  least." 

Holding  to  stones  and  shells  by  a  minute  disk,  not 
so  big  as  a  pin-head,  with  the  merest  thread  of  a 
stem,  not  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  it  grows  down 
on  the  sea  bottom,  five  or  six  fathoms  deep.  From 
this  slender  thread  of  a  stem,  the  wavy-edged,  thin, 
delicate  red  membrane  of  a  frond,  gradually  expands 
to  the  width  of  three  or  four  inches,  and  rises  to  the 
height  of  one  to  two  feet  or  more,  tapering  to  a 
rounded  point  at  the  top.  Along  the  middle  of  the 
whole  length  of  the  frond,  runs  a  fine  but  distinct  line 
of  deeper  color,  and  apparently  thicker  substance, 
which  not  a  little  resembles  the  midrib  in  the  leaf  of 
terrestrial  plants.  The  edges  are  full,  and  rufiled, 
or  wavy,  so  that  when  put  on  paper  they  fold  in 
"plaits,"  at  regular  intervals,  deepening  the  color  at 
these  places,  and  adding  another  charm  to  the  picture 
which  the  mounted  plant  makes. 

This  beautiful  plant  grows  along  our  shores  from 
Long  Island  Sound  to  Fortress  Monroe,  being  most 
abundant  and  most  luxuriant  about  New  York  Ray. 
It  is  in  its  perfection  by  the  first  of  August,  when  it 
loosens    in   great   numbers,    from    its    deeper    fastnesses, 


170  SEA  MOSSES. 

and    floats    to    the    surface,    and    is    driven    in    shore. 
Then  like  Macbeth's  bloody  hand,  it  almost  seems  the 

"Multitudinous  seas  to  incarnadine, 
Making  the  green  —  one  red." 

There  lies  before  me  as  I  write,  half  a  dozen  splendid 
fronds  taken  at  that  season,  on  the  pebbly  beach, 
where  the  Hessians  landed  at  the  battle  of  Long  Island, 
just  below  Fort  Hamilton,  New  York.  They  are  from 
one  and  one-half  to  two  a.. J  one-half  feet  long,  and 
three  to  four  inches  wide,  perfect  in  outline,  and  of 
a  most  beautiful  rosy  red,  with  just  a  shade  of  orange 
here  and  there.  They  would  make  exquisite  pictures 
framed  as  pannels.  A  reduced  copy  of  one  of  them 
adorns  this  volume,  in  Plate  XII.  They  are  delicate 
plants,  and  must  be  treated  tenderly,  and  yet  these 
specimens  were  carried,  rolled  up  in  newspapers,  from 
New  York  to  eastern  Massachusetts,  250  miles,  and 
kept  twenty-four  hours  out  of  water,  before  they  were 
mounted. 

Genus.— DELESSERIA*  Lam. 


Delesseria  sinuosa,  Lam. 
The  Delesseria   with   a   sinuous  or  indented  outline 
is  a  deep  water   plant,  growing   on   the  roots  of  Lam- 

*  Named  for  Delessert,  a  French  botanist. 


Delessaria 


RED    ALG^^.  171 

inaria  flexicaulis,  and  on  shells  and  stones,  at  a  depth 
of  ten  to  forty  fathoms.  It  has  been  collected  on 
the  coast  of  Maine  at  a  depth  of  seventy-five,  and 
in  the  Arctic  seas  at  a  depth  of  eighty-five  fathoms. 
It  is  very  plentiful  in  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  along 
the  whole  coast  northward.  It  is  sparingly  found 
soutn  of  Cape  Cod.  It  is  to  be  looked  for  among 
the  masses  of  sea  weeds  rolled  up  by  the  tides  along 
our  northern  —  especially  rocky  and  pebbly  —  beaches. 
It  is  scarcely  ever  absent  from  such  rejectamenta 
of  the  sea,  for  it  is  a  perennial.  It  is  as  easily  dis- 
tinguished there,  as  are  the  leaves  of  the  oak  or 
maple,  among  the  fallen  foliage  of  the  forest.  In 
some  of  its  forms,  it  bears  no  inapt  resemblance  tc 
the  young  leaf  of  the  oak.  In  England,  it  is  called 
the  oak-leaf  Delesseria.  In  California,  we  have  the 
true  oak-leaf  form,  called  D.  quercifotia,  which  is 
not  much  unlike  this  species. 

The  plant  grows  from  three  to  six  inches  or  more 
high.  It  is  sometimes  narrow,  and  sometimes  quite 
broad  as  is  the  one,  which  i?  copied  for  this  vol- 
ume, and  represented  life  size,  in  Plate  X.  It  is  ex- 
tremely variable  in  outline,  but  the  fact  that  it  is 
the  only  red  Alga  which  has  a  regularly  midribbtd  and 
veined  frond,  like  the  leaves  of  trees,  removes  all 
difficulty  in  the   way   of   its   ready   recognition,    when- 


172  SEA  MOSSBS. 

ever  it  is  seen.  Its  color  is  a  deep  lake-red,  when 
fresh  or  young,  but  often  flecked  with  green,  or 
white,  or  yellow,  or  faded  to  pink,  when  it  has  been 
long  exposed  on  the  shore.  There  are  very  many 
beautiful  plants  to  be  found  among  its  various  forms. 
It  does  not  readily,  or  very  firmly  adhere  to  paper 
in  drying. 

I  find,  from  an  old  work  on  my  shelves,  by 
Gmelin,  of  St  Petersburg,  that  it  was  described 
more  than  a  century  ago,  he  having  then  already, 
received  specimens  of  it  from  Kamtschatka.  It  is 
essentially  an  arctic  plant.  I  have  two  copies  from 
Spitzbergen,  where  it  is  described,  as  being  among  the 
most  common  of  the  red  Algse. 

Delesseria   alata.    Lam. 

The  winged  Delesseria  has  the  same  general 
habit  as  D.  sinuosa,  except  that  it  is  a  very  much 
narrower,  and  more  delicate  plant.  It  grows  in  much 
the  same  situation,  and  may  be  looked  for  in  the 
same  places.  It  will  almost  always  be  found  on  our 
shores  in  connection  with  Ptilota  plumosa,  var.  ser- 
rata,  on  whose  frond  it  is  very  commonly  parasitical. 
It  is  commonly  not  more  than  three  inches  high, 
though  I  have  both  English  and  American  specimens, 
twice  that, 


RED    ALG^.  173 

The  cylindrical  stem  flattens  into  a  midrib,  directly 
it  enters  the  leafy  part  of  the  frond.  There  is  but 
a  very  narrow  margin  of  leaf,  or  wings,  bordering  the 
midrib ;  in  our  plants,  it  is  not  over  one-eighth  to  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  wide.  The  frond  rapidly  forks  or 
irregularly  divides,  in  one  plane,  so  that  the  frond 
has  a  multitude  of  narrow,  terminal  ramifications, 
along  towards  the  end  of  which,  the  midrib,  in  most 
of  our  American  plants,  seems  to  disappear. 

The  margins  of  the  lobes  are  usually  entire,  and 
they  run  out  commonly  to  a  narrow,  but  ahvays 
rounded,  termination,  nearly  one-tenth  of  an  inch  wide. 

It  will  often  be  found  associated  with  EutJiora 
cristata,  from  which  it  will  sometimes  be  found  diffi- 
cult to  distinguish  it,  on  account  of  similarity  of  size 
and  ramification.  But  the  small  ends  of  the  Euthori 
are  never  7'ounded,  but  always  square  or  notched, 
in  an  angular  fashion.  A  common  pocket  lens  will 
always  reveal  the  distinction,  if  it  cannot  be  made 
out  with  the  unaided  eye.  D.  alata  is  a  perennial. 
It  has  not  been  found  south  of  Cape  Cod,  but  it 
will  seldom  be  wanting  on  our  northern  shores.  It 
is  not  uncommon  on  the  CaHfornia  coast.  Its  color 
is  a  light  red  or  delicate  pink.  It  is  indeed  a  very 
beautiful  plant  when  carefully  mounted.  Our  Amer- 
ican plants  seem  to  adhere   well   to   paper. 


174  SEA  MOSSES. 

Genus— NITOPHYLLUM*    Grev, 

This  splendid  genus  must  be  one  of  the  glories 
of  the  marine  flora  of  California,  a  coast  extremely- 
rich  in  fine  and  beautiful  species.  With  its  many 
species  of  large  and  brilliantly  colored  plants,  thin 
and  silky  in  texture,  graceful  in  outline,  prolific  in 
numbers,  surely  this  genus  would  be  difficult  to 
match.  What  could  be  more  charming  than  a  wide, 
deep,  clear  rock-pool,  where  the  brown  "  Kelp  "  and 
the  green  U/va,  intermingled  with  the  waving  fronds 
of  these  crimson  plants,  should  spread  themselves 
out  in  calm  and  lazy  life,  the  wonder  and  admira- 
tion of  every  beholder ;    or  to  look 

**  Far  down  in  the  green  and  glassy  brine. 
Where  the  floor  is  of  sand,  like  the  mountain  drift, 
And  the  pearl  shells  spangle  the  flinty  snow; 
Where  from  Coral  rocks  the  sea  plants  lift 
Their  b.iughs  where  the  tides  and  billows  flow." 

And  see  there,  growing   upon    the  stems  of  the  giants 
of  Neptune's  forest,  these    brilliant  fronded  Nitopyhlla^ 

•   Red  like  a  banner  bathed  in  slaughter? " 
NITOPHYLLUM     SPECTABILE,     EaTON. 

This  truly  ad?mradle  plant,  says  Prof.  Eaton,  is 
"  among   the   largest  species   of    the    genus,    often   two 

♦  Nitophyllum  =  A  shining  leaf. 


RBB    ALGM.  175 

feet  long,  and  in  the  spread  of  the  lobes  two-thirds 
as  broad.  The  frond  has  usually  a  central  body 
with  forked,  tongue-like,  marginal  branches,  an  inch 
wide  and  six  or  eight  inches  long.  The  lobes  are 
often  crowded  so  as  to  overlap  each  other.  No 
veins  are  visible.  Fruit  dots  are  scattered  over  the 
surface  of  the  frond.  The  substance  is  rather  firm, 
but  thin,  and  does  not  very  well  adhere  to  paper, 
except  in  the  younger  portions.  The  color  is  dull 
purplish-red,  more  rosy  in  the  newer  parts." 

I  have  seen  only  small  specimens  of  this  noble 
plant.  Dr.  Anderson  reports  it  quite  common  at 
Santa  Cruz,  and  when  he  also  reports,  that  three 
other  of  the  largest  species  of  this  splendid  genus 
are  among  the  commonest  plants  in  those  waters,  I 
cannot  help  wishing  that  that  El  Dorado  of  the  Al- 
gologist  were  not  so  far  away.  He  says  all  the 
species  of  Nitophyllum  grow  between  tides,  on  rocks, 
and  on  the  roots  and  stems  of  Laminaria,  of  course 
in  tide  pools,  all  the  year  round.  No  doubt  they 
grow  in  deep  water  there  also,  as  they  do,  according 
to  Dr.  Dimmick,  at  Santa  Barbara. 

Nitophyllum  latissimum,*  Ag. 
The  frond  springs  from  a  narrow  base,  and  spreads 

*  Latissimum  =  Wide«t> 


176  SEA  MOSSES. 

out  widely  in  lobes,  like  a  hand  with  the  fingers 
extended,  or  remains  entire,  a  foot  long,  rounded  at 
top,  four  or  five  inches  wide,  or  displays  one  long, 
tapering  lobe  and  several  smaller  ones  by  the  side 
of  it.  It  will  thus  be  seen  to  be  extremely  variable 
in  form.  But  it  has  one  mark  which  will  infallibly 
distinguish  it,  viz. :  a  network  of  branching,  crossing 
and  interlacing  veins,  which  covers  over  the  entire 
frond.  The  veins  are  very  pronounced,  and  about 
equally  so  throughout  the  frond.  At  least  one  other 
species,  of  this  genus,  from  these  waters,  has  veins  in 
the  frond,  viz.  :  N.  Ruprechteanum.  But  they 
are  mostly  parallel,  and  rapidly  fade  out  as  they  get 
to  the  middle  of  the  frond.  Mrs.  Bingham  and  Dr. 
Dimmick  find  it  not  very  common  at  Santa  Barbara, 
thrown  up  from  deep  water,  in  May  and  June.  It 
does  not  occur  at  San  Diego.  Dr.  Anderson's  report 
of  this  and  other  Nitophylla,  is  given  under  the  last 
species,  N.  spectabile. 

NiTOPHYLLUM,    FrYEANUM,    HaRV. 

This  plant  was  no  doubt  nam>ed  for  Mr.  A.  D. 
Frye,  of  New  York  city,  one  of  the  earliest  collectors 
of  Algae  on  the  Pacific  coast.  It  is  neither  a  large 
or  a  very  common  species.  It  attains  a  height  of 
five   or   six   inches,  and   is  spread   to   about   the   same 


RED    ALG^..  177 

width  when  full  grown,  and  much  divided.  From 
a  minute  point  of  attachment  it  widens  rapidly  upward 
in  a  wedged-shaped  manner,  quite  like  a  palmate,  or 
typical  form,  of  "Dulse,"  and  in  general,  it  may  be 
said  to  have  the  habit  of  the  smaller  species  of  that 
genus,  found  in  the  same  neighborhood,  viz. :  Rhody- 
7nenia  corallina.  The  full  grown  frond  is  divided 
almost  to  the  base  into  three  or  four  lobes,  and  these 
again  at  top,  having  widened  much,  are  themselves 
divided  half  way  down,  the  secondary  lobes  being 
nicely  rounded  and  scalloped  at  top.  It  is  full  red, 
thickish  and  nerveless.  It  is  not  very  uncommon  in 
northern  California,  but  is  rare  in  Santa  Barbara,  and 
has  not  yet  been  found  at  San  Diego.  In  the  former 
place  it  is  thrown  up  from  deep  water  in  May,  and 
probably  at  other  times. 

NiTOPHYLLUM    AnDERSONII,    AG. 

Though  by  no  means  the  largest,  this  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  certainly  the  best  marked  species 
of  the  group.  It  has  a  narrow  frond  throughout,  not 
over  one-third  of  an  inch  wide,  often  less  than  that. 
It  throws  out  branches  profusely  along  each  edge, 
or  quite  loses  itself  in  branchings  and  forkings,  so  as 
to  make  often,  a  very  rambling  and  uncertain  outline. 
But   the   figure,   in   Plate   XL,  will  give  a  much  better 


178  SEA   MOSSES. 

idea  of  the  plant  than  can  be  conveyed  by  any  words. 
It  has  one  unmistakable  mark  which  will  distinguish 
it  from  every  other  member  of  the  family,  viz. :  the 
fact  that  all  the  parts  and  lobes  are  armed  along 
their  edges  with  sharp,  forward-pointing  teeth.  In 
all  the  older  parts,  a  midrib  is  very  distinctly  seen, 
which  loses  itself  at  last  near  the  middle,  or  toward 
the  younger  parts  of  the  frond.  My  largest  specimens 
are  eight  inches  in  lateral  spread,  and  something  less 
in  height ;  color,  a  dull  or  brownish  red.  It  is  common 
along  the  whole  coast,  and  at  Santa  Barbara,  it  is 
reported  growing  in  deep  water  near  the  wharf,  and 
on  large  rocks  at  low-tide,  and  at  San  Diego,  in  deep 
water,  from  November  to  April. 

NiTOPHYLLUM    RUPRECHTEANUM,    AG. 

This  is  a  fine,  large  and  well  marked  species. 
Starting  from  a  narrow  stem,  it  soon  expands  into  a 
repeatedly  forking,  widely  spreading  frond  from  one 
to  two  feet'  long.  The  strap-like  lobes  of  the  frond 
are  from  half  an  inch  to  one  inch  wide,  of  various 
lengths,  of  nearly  parallel  edges,  rounded  and  often 
cleft  at  the  top.  The  edges  of  all  the  older  parts  of 
the  frond,  and  of  any  old  breaks  in  it,  are  bordered 
with  a  fringe  of  minute  leaflets,  not  more  than  one- 
eighth   of  an  inch  long.     Sometimes  these  extend  over 


LoMKNTARiA   Baileyana,   Haiv. 


Xi  lOi'inLr.iM    .\Nni;iis()\n.    .1. 


PLATE  X.: 


RED    ALG^.  179 

portions  of  the  surface  of  the  frond.  This  is  an  un- 
mistakable mark  of  the  species.  The  thickened  stem 
divides  and  forms  midribs  or  veins  in  the  lower 
divisions  of  the  frond.  These,  however,  soon  dis- 
appear  upward.  The  color  is  a  dark  red  with  a  shade 
of  purple.  Substance,  somewhat  rigid.  It  does  not 
adhere  well  to  paper.  It  is  among  the  commonest 
of  plants  along  the  whole  coast,  and  must  be  one  of 
the  finest  features  of  a  fine  flora. 

NiTOPHYLLUM    FLABELLIGERUM,*    AG. 

This  is  another  large  plant  growing  a  foot  or  more 
high,  and  spreading  as  wide.  In  general  habit  it  very 
much  resembles  the  last  species,  but  differs  in  lacking  the 
fringe  of  minute  leaflets  upon  the  edge  of  the  lobes. 
It  is  also  more  widely  divided  in  the  palmate  frond, 
the  lobes  are  more  numerous,  more  wedge-shaped, 
shorter  and  narrower.  From  a  flattened  stem,  one 
to  four  inches  long,  the  frond  spreads,  by  repeated 
forkings  and  dividings,  into  many  segments  with 
rounded  tops.  Large,  dark,  fruit  dots  are  scattered 
over  the  surface  of  the  fertile  fronds.  It  appears  to 
to  be  a  native  of  the  northern  shores,  as  I  have  not 
received  it  from  any  locality  south  of  Santa  Cruz. 

•  FlabcUigerum  =  Fan-shaped. 


180  SEA  MOSSES. 

NiTOPHYLLUM    VIOLACEUM,    AG. 

This  species  is  distinguished  by  its  very  narrow 
frond,  which  fofks  ahiiost  from  the  bottom,  into  long, 
slender  segments,  and  by  its  marked  purple  or  violet 
color.  It  is  quite  a  variable  plant,  yet  one  or  the 
other  of  these  marks  will  usually  determine  it.  It 
grows  to  the  height  of  six  or  eight  inches,  and  its 
lobes  are  often  not  over  a  quarter  of  an  inch  wide, 
and  are  apt  to  throw  out  at  irregular  intervals  along 
the  margin,  minute  leaflets  with  a  dark  spot  in  them ; 
this  is  the  fruit.  It  is  plentiful  along  the  entire  coast, 
and  grows  in  deep  water  on  the  larger  Algae. 


Genus.—  CALLIBLEPHARIS,''  Kutz. 


Calliblepharis  ciliata,    Kutz. 

The  ciliated  species  of  this  genus  is  by  no 
means  as  common  in  our  waters,  as  it  is  reported 
to  be  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  but  it  will 
well  repay  looking  for  where  it  may  be  expected. 
It  is  an  annual,  growing  in  deep  water,  and  ripen- 
ing its  fruit  and  frond  in  early  winter.  It  is  found 
at   Cape   Ann,   and    down    the    coast    of    New    Eng- 

*  Calliblepharis  =  Beautiful  eyelashes. 


RED   ALG^,  181 

land  and  the  Provinces,  as  far  as  Halifax.  Mrs. 
Davis  gets  it  on  the  beach  at  Gloucester,  where  it 
is  thrown  up,  from  September  to  December.  Prof. 
Eaton  found  it  at  Eastport,  Me.  It  may  be  ex- 
pected at  all  intermediate  points. 

It  grows  from  a  mass  of  short,  creeping  roots, 
at  first,  a  short,  cylindrical  stem,  which  gradually 
expands  into  a  flat,  thickish,  cartilaginous  frond, 
from  one-half  to  one  inch  wide,  and  from  two  to 
six  inches  high,  tapers  again  at  the  top  into  a  sim- 
ple acute  apex,  or,  forking,  ends  in  two  such  apices. 
Along  the  edges  of  this  frond,  at  irregular  intervals, 
there  come  forth,  at  first,  sharp,  minute,  spine-like 
processes,  usually  curved.  These  at  length  grow 
into  miniature  fronds  of  the  same  general  form  as 
the  parent  frond.  These  again  put  out  the  spinous 
cilia  ("eyelashes,"  so  called)  which,  in  turn,  be- 
come still  more  minute  fronds,  of  the  original  pat- 
tern, having  ciliated  edges.  Here,  generally,  the 
ramification  stops.  The  plant  has  a  clear,  strongly 
marked  red  color,  with  a  decided  tendency  to  turn 
darker  in  drying.     It  adheres  well  to  paper. 


182  SEA  MOSSES. 

Genus.— G J? AC/LA J^/A*    Grev. 


Gracilaria   multipartita,   Ag. 

The  many-fimes-divided  Gracilaria  is  the  only 
representative  of  this  genus,  which  grows  in  our 
northern  waters,  and  it  is  found  on  both  the  east 
and  west  coast,  being  quite  common  in  Southern 
California.  The  narrow  form,  angustissima,  is  very 
plentiful  in  Long  Island  Sound  and  adjacent  waters. 
I  have  collected  this  variety  in  considerable  quanti- 
ties in  Providence  river,  in  the  month  of  August, 
where  Prof.  Bailey  and  Mr.  Olney  found  it  in 
abundance,  many  years  ago.  It  has  been  reported 
north  of  Cape  Cod,  by  but  one  collector,  Mr. 
Collins,  who  finds  it  quite  plentiful  in  the  warm 
waters  and  on  the  muddy  bottoms  of  Mystic  river 
marshes,  near  Boston,  from   May  to  November. 

The  plant  is  an  extremely  variable  one.  It  grows 
to  a  height  of  from  six  to  twelve  inches.  It  starts 
with  a  short,  cyhndrical  stem.  This  immediately  be- 
gins to  flatten,  and  directly  expands  into  a  narrowish 
flat  frond,  which  always  widens  upward,  till  it  is  a 
third  or  half  an  inch  broad.  Then  it  divides  into 
two   to   four  segments,    which    are,    in    the    same    way, 

*  Gracilaria  =  Slender,  giaceful. 


r  ^ 


p" 


(tuinmii.lia  Amekicaxa,    Ifa. 


RED    ALG^.  183 

slender  at  first,  but  gradually  widen  as  they  grow 
upward.  Another  division,  soon  occurs  in  each  of 
these,  and  the  parts  again  expand,  and  so  on.  This 
method  of  growth,  together  with  the  partings  or 
branchings  which  occur  along  the  edges  of  the 
frond,  and  which  likewise  have  the  same  habit  of 
upward  widening,  gives  the  whole  frond  a  decidedly 
fan-shaped  aspect. 

In  July  or  August,  the  seed-vessels  appear  along 
the  edges  of  the  branches,  like  warts,  as  big  as 
pigeon  shot.  The  substance  of  the  frond  is  some- 
what tender  and  brittle,  but  when  dry,  it  is  tough 
and  leathery.  The  color  is  a  dull  purplish-red,  but 
much  darker  when  dry  and  mounted  on  paper,  to 
which  it  adheres  rather  imperfectly. 


Order.—  CORALLINES.  \/ 

Genus.—  CORALLINA*  Lam, 

There  are  several  genera  of  this   order  growing  on 
our   shores,  besides    the  one   named  above.     They  are 
all  characterized   by  the  calcarious,    or  stony    incrubta 
tion    of    the    frond.      Some    of    them    are    mere    pink 
or   brown   patches,  upon    the   fronds  of  other  Algae,  or 

*  Corallina  ^  A   little  coral. 


184  SEA   MOSSES. 

upon  the  rocks,  stones  and  shells ;  others  grow  up 
in  the  form  of  plants.  None  of  these,  with  the  ex- 
ception, possibly,  of  the  Co7'allina,  and  the  Amphi- 
roa,  will  be  of  sufficient  interest  to  any  other  than 
the  scientific  botanist,  to  make  them  desirable  to 
collect.  But  that  you  may  know,  that  these  things 
which  you  will  find  so  plentiful  all  along  the  shore, 
and  which  much  more  resemble,  by  reason  of  their 
stony  structure,  the  corals  than  any  plant,  are  real 
plants  and  not  corals,  I  have  selected  one  species 
for  description.  It  should  be  added,  perhaps,  that 
the  true  plant  structure,  and  the  reproductive  organs, 
really  exist  as  in  other  red  Algae,  but  are  concealed 
beneath  the  hard  crust  which  is  secreted  upon  the 
outside. 

V  y  CORALLINA    OFFICINALIS,     L. 

The  medicinal  species  of  this  genus  is  the  only  one 
on  our  eastern  shore.  It  is  also  a  native  of  Cali- 
fornia. It  grows  in  great  abundance  in  tide  pools, 
and  upon  the  rocks,  about  low-water  mark,  all  along 
our  shores  from  New  York  northward.  It  is  from 
one  and  a  half  to  three  inches  high,  extremely  vari- 
able in  size  and  aspect,  in  some  cases  loosely  and  in 
others  densely  tufted ;  in  color,  from  a  reddish  pur- 
ple to  a  gray  green,  and  if  exposed  to  the  weather, 
for   a   little    time,   upon    the    beach,   bleach  out   quite 


RED    ALGyB.  185 

white.  The  frond  is  composed  of  cylindrical  fila- 
ments, a  trifle  flattened,  the  main  stem  branching 
from  its  edges,  as  do  also  the  principal  branches. 
The  whole  plant  is  built  up  of  small  stony,  some- 
what wedge-shaped  joints,  a  trifle  the  widest  at  the 
top,  all  the  branches  and  branchlets  spring  from 
the  top  of  the  joints  directly  below.  It  generally 
refuses  to  adhere,  but  may  be  fastened  down  with 
straps  of  gummed  paper. 


Order  —  GELIDIE^. 
Genus.—  GELIDIUM*   Lam. 

One  species  of  this  is  a  native  of  both  shores, 
and  the  others  of  the  Pacific  alone.  They  are  nar- 
row, compressed,  rarely  quite  cyhndrical  plants,  of  a 
firm,  tenacious  substance,  and,  when  dry,  quite  rigid 
and  horny.  They  are  pinnately  branched,  and  the 
branching  is  mostly  in  one  plane. 

Gelidium   corneum,    Lam. 

This  is  a  most  variable  plant.  A  typical  form, 
such  as  we  figure,  in  Plate  XIII,  will  not  very  fre- 
quently be  found.  But  every  plant  will  be  but  a 
variation   on   that   theme.       Plants   of    this   species  on 

*  Gelidium  =  Ice-like   or  jelly-like. 


186  SEA  MOSSES. 

the  eastern  coast  are  small,  not  more  than  an  inch, 
or  an  inch  and  a  half  high.  Those  growing  in 
California  are  three  or  four  inches  high,  the  lower 
branches  long  and  naked  below,  gradually  shortening 
toward  the  top  of  the  plant.  They  are  two  or 
three  times  pinnated,  that  is,  the  branches  bear 
branches,  and  these  branchlets,  arranged  on  the  same 
pinnate  plan  throughout;  the  ultimate  ramuli  are 
usually  club-shaped,  and  swollen  with  the  spore 
masses,  which  they  contain.  Color,  a  purpUsh  red, 
but  by  exposure  on  the  beach,  it  fades  through  all 
shades  to  dirty  white.  It  grows  in  tide  pools  on 
rocks  and  other  Algae,  near  low-water  mark.  It  is 
extremely  common  on  the  Pacific  coast  at  all  sea- 
sons. A  section  of  the  fruit-bearing  branchlet  makes 
a  very  interesting  microscopical  object,  with  its  club- 
shaped  spores,  growing  from  a  central  partition, 
which  divides  the  inner  cavity  of  the  conceptacle 
in^o  two  equal  chambers. 

Gelidium   cartilagineum,   Grev. 

The  fronds  often  attain  a  height  of  twelve  inches, 
are  flattened,  two-edged,  one-tenth  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  flatter  upwards,  three  or  four  times  pin- 
nated. The  root  is  a  mass  of  much-branched,  rigid 
fibres.     Stem   and    long    primary  branches   naked  be- 


Gelidium  corneum,   Lam. 


PLATE  XIII. 


RED    ALG^E.  187 

low,  thickly,  pinnately  branched  above.  All  the 
lesser  pinnules  issue  at  very  obtuse  angles  with 
distinctly  rounded  axils.  Color  when  growing  is  a 
very  dark  purplish-red.  Its  size,  the  long  primary 
branches,  and  the  rounded  axils  of  its  ultimate 
branchlets,  distinguish  it  from  the  last.  It  is  very 
common  at  all  seasons,  growing  between  tides,  on 
rocks  and  weeds.  Mrs.  Bingham  finds  it  on  the 
stems  of  Phyllospoi'a  Menziesii  at  Santa  Barbara. 
At  San  Diego  it  grows  in  deep  water  and  in  deep 
tide  pools.     It  does  not  adhere  to  paper  in  drying. 

Gelidium    coulteri,    Harv. 

This  is  much  the  smallest  and  most  delicate 
species  of  the  three.  It  grows  in  considerable  tufts 
from  a  mass  of  matted  root-fibres,  sometimes  fifty 
plants  together.  It  is  very  slender  and  narrow,  not 
more  than  the  twentieth  of  an  inch  wide,  yet  all 
parts  are  clearly  flattened,  and  the  opposite  pinnate 
branching,  goes  on  very  regularly  from  the  edges. 
The  fronds  are  commonly  two  or  three  inches  high  ; 
the  primary  branches  one  to  two  inches  long;  the 
secondary  are  usually  the  club-shaped  ramuli  which 
contain  the  fruit,  and  are  closely  set  and  opposite. 
Color,  a  very  dark  purple.  It  adheres  to  paper  fairly 
well.      Beginning    as    a    somewhat   rare   plant   in    San 


188  SEA  MOSSES. 

Diego,  it  becomes  more  and  more  common  toward 
the  north.  At  Santa  Cruz  it  is  very  plentiful.  Its 
habitat  is  upon  rocks  and  other  Algae  between  tides. 


Order.  — HYPNE^. 
Gex^us.—  BYFNEA*   Lam. 


Hypnea  musciformis,   Lam. 

The  moss-like  Hypnea  is  in  many  places  south 
of  Cape  Cod,  a  very  common  plant.  I  collected 
it  at  Wood's  Holl,  but  not  very  plentifully.  Miss 
Booth  speaks  of  it  as  growing  "  by  the  acre,"  in 
Peconic  Bay.  In  California,  as  on  the  Atlantic 
coast,  it  grows  more  common  as  you  go  southward. 
It  is  not  found  north  of  Cape  Cod. 

The  frond  is  filiform,  growing  from  a  mat  of 
root  fibres,  on  stones  and  shells,  in  deep  water. 
It  grows  in  spreading  bushy  tufts  to  a  height  of 
from  three  to  seven  inches.  The  main  stem  is  as 
thick  as  a  sparrow's  quill  at  base,  thence  tapering  to 
the  size  of  a  bristle  at  top.  It  is  irregularly  but 
plentifully  branched,  especially  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  frond,  the  branches  spreading  out  widely   in  every 

*  Hypnea,  named    from  Hypnuma;   genus  of  Mosses, 


i 


RED    ALG^^.  189 

direction,  the  longest  near  the  bottom.  These 
branches  are  often  branched  in  the  same  manner, 
and  sometimes  the  branchlets  also.  All  the  parts  are 
beset,  sometimes  thickly,  sometimes  sparingly,  with 
short,  horizontal  spines  one-tenth  to  one-third  of  an 
inch  long. 

The  distinguishing  mark  of  the  plant  is  this  :  The 
almost  or  quite  naked  extremity  of  the  principal 
branches  is  turned  back  at  the  ends  so  as  to  form 
a  hook,  often  not  unlike  a  fish-hook  in  appearance. 
This  must  not  be  mistaken  for  the  twining  tendrils 
borne  on  the  end  branches  of  one  variety  of  Cysto- 
c Ionium  purpurascens.  The  color  is  a  dark,  dull 
red,  with  a  purplish  tinge,  which  rapidly  fades  to 
dirty  green  and  white,  when  exposed  to  sunshine  or 
the  action  of  fresh  water.  It  adheres  to  paper,  but 
not  very  strongly. 

Order.—  RHODYMENIE^. 
Ger\us.—  RBODYMENIA*    Grev. 


Rhodymenia  palmata,  Grev. 

The   palmate    or    hand-shaped    Rhodymenia    is    so 
common   and    so  universally  known  under  the   common 

*  Rhodymenia  =  A  red  membrane. 


190  SEA  MOSSES. 

name  of  "  Dulse "  that  it  seems  hardly  necessary  to 
give  a  particular  description  of  it.  As  its  name  says, 
it  is  a  red  membrane.  From  a  small,  hard  disk,  a 
veiy  short,  round  stem  arises  for  one-fourth  of  an 
inch  or  so,  and  then  spreads  out  into  a  broad,  thin, 
fan-shaped  membrane,  three  to  twelve  inches  or  more 
high,  destitute  alike  of  midrib  and  veins.  But  it  is 
cleft  from  top  to  bottom,  or  nearly,  into  many  wedge- 
shaped  segments.  The  main  segments  are  cleft  down 
half  way  or  so,  giving  them  also,  and  the  whole  plant, 
somewhat  the  appearance  of  a  hand  with  the  fingers 
spread  out.  The  margins  of  the  frond  are  usually 
quite  entire,  but  the  ends  of  the  "  fingers,"  are  cut 
in  a  little  way,  to  show  where  other  divisions  would 
come. 

The  plant,  however,  is  variable,  sometimes  growing 
a  foot  or  more  high,  a  narrow  leathery  strap,  fringed 
along  the  sides  with  leaflets,  and  surmounted  with 
several  palmately  divided  segments.  It  is  a  perennial, 
and  the  old  fronds  are  generally  much  thicker  than 
the  young  ones.  I  have  some  very  thin,  quite  trans- 
lucent specimens  from  Sweden.  But  my  British  and 
Spitsbergen  plants  are  thicker,  like  our  American 
forms. 

It  is  of  a  dark  red  or  wine  color.  It  grows  on 
rocks,  and  on  the  Fucus,  and  on  stems  of  Laminana^ 


RED    ALGuE.  191 

from  low-water  mark  to  several  fathoms  down.  It 
adheres  very  imperfectly  to  paper  when  dried,  unless 
allowed  to  stand  for  a  considerable  time  before  mount- 
ing, in  fresh  water.  Both  cooked  and  in  a  raw  state, 
it  is  a  common  article  of  food  among  the  peasantry 
of  the  British  Isles.  '  In  Norway  and  Sweden,  it  is 
much  used  as  the  food  of  sheep  and  goats.  Mrs. 
Bingham  reports  it  at  Santa  Barbara,  common. 

Rhodymenia  corallina.  Grey. 

Starting  in  a  cylindrical  stem  which  sometimes  is 
as  long  as  one-third  of  the  whole  plant,  it  soon 
expands  into  a  wide,  fan-shaped,  many  times  forking, 
rose  red  frond.  The  plant  is  from  four  to  eight  inches 
high.  The  lobes,  which  are  generally  of  a  uniform 
width  in  the  same  plant,  vary  from  one-third  to  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch,  in  different  plants.  The  margins 
of  all  parts  are  very  entire  and  smooth,  and  the  ends 
nicely  rounded.  The  substance  is  thin  but  firm. 
It  grows  in  rocky  tide  pools  and  in  deep  water,  along 
ihe  whole  coast  of  California,  very  common  both  north 
and  south.     It  is  not  found  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 


192  SEA  MOSSES. 

Q^Qx\\x%.—  EUTHORA,   Ag. 

EUTHORA   CRISTATA,    Ag. 

The  crested  Euthora  is  among  our  most  interest- 
ing and  beautiful  northern  plants.  Plate  XIV.  gives 
a  good  reproduction  of  a  typical  frond  of  this  species. 
In  general  outline,  when  spread  on  paper,  it  is  not 
greatly  unlike  some  forms  of  Delesseria  alata,  from 
which  it  differs,  however,  by  having  no  veins  or 
midrib,  and  by  having  its  end  ramifications  notched. 
In  D.  alata  they  terminate  in  rounded  points. 

The  tiat  fan-shaped  frond  grows  from  one  to 
three  inches  high,  and  divides  from  the  base  in  a 
manner  between  forking  and  alternate  branching. 
The  main  branches  also  subdivide  in  the  same  way. 
Sometimes  they  widen  upwards  at  first,  and  then 
fringe  out  into  narrow  branches.  Sometimes  they 
are  of  the  same  width  throughout,  one  eighth  of  an 
inch  or  more,  and  rapidly  divide  toward  the  ends  into 
.minute  branches,  each  of  which,  under  the  glass,  will 
seem  to  be  notched  in  at  the  end.  It  is  a  full  bright 
red  color. 

It  is  found  in  great  abundance  along  our  whole 
coast  north  of  Cape  Cod.  It  has  also  been  dredged 
off  Block  Island.  It  grows  with  Ptilota  pliimosa. 
and   the   two   Delessei-ice^   on   stones,  shells,   and   other 


EUTHORA    CRISTATA,    Ao; 


PLATE  XIV. 


RET)    ALGAZ,  198 

Algae  in  deep  water.  It  is  to  be  looked  for  among 
the  debris  left  upon  the  strand  by  the  waves.  Professor 
Eaton  found  it  near  Eastport,  Me.  in  tide  pools,  an 
unusual  habitat,  I  must  think.  It  may  be  collected 
throughout  the  season.  It  adheres  well  to  paper,  and, 
when  carefully  laid  out  makes  a  beautiful  specimen. 


Gewus.— FLOCAMIUM*  Lyngb, 


Plocamium  coccineum,  Lyngb. 

A  plant  of  the  scarlet  Plocamiiwi  is  well  repre- 
sented in  Plate  XV.  It  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant, 
beautiful  and  common  of  the  California  Algae.  Few 
collections  of  "  Sea  Mosses "  will  come  from  the 
Pacific  coast,  which  will  not  contain  more  or  less  of 
them.  It  grows  between  tides  in  pools,  and  below. 
Its  color  is  a  dark  lake  red,  often  faded  to  a  lighter 
hue.  The  substance  is  cartilaginous.  The  frond  is 
narrow,  one-tenth  to  one-eighth  of  an  inch  wide,  from 
three  to  eight  inches  high,  flattened  and  branched 
from  the  edges,  by  stout,  flattened,  alternate  branches, 
some  long  and  some  short. 

Plants  of  this   species  may  be   easily  and  infallibly 

*  Plocamium  =  Braided  hair. 
«3 


194  SEA   MOSSES. 

distinguished  by  the  peculiar  arrangement  of  its  extreme 
ramifications.  The  ultimate  ramuli  are  set  on  the 
inner  edges  of  the  terminal  branchlets,  exactly  like 
the  teeth  of  a  comb,  three  or  four  little  awl-shaped 
teeth  in  a  row  upon  each  branchlet,  and  the  branch- 
lets  themselves,  set  in  the  same  way,  upon  the  edges 
of  the  penaltinate  branches. 

It  adheres  very  well  to  paper  when  mounted  fresh 
from  the  sea,  under  considerable  pressure.  It  is  so 
common  at  all  seasons,  along  the  whole  western  coast, 
that  particular  localities  need  not  be  named. 

It  is  not  a  little  sin^lar,  that  this  species,  which 
is  so  common  on  the  western  shores  of  both  Europe 
and  America,  should  not  be  found  at  all  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  America,  lying  directly  between. 


Gex\Kxs.—  STENOGRAMMA,  Barv, 


Stenogramma  interrupta,*  Mont. 

The  same  remark  may  be  made  of  this  as  of  the 
last  species ;  the  singularity  of  its  occurrence  on  the 
western  shores  of  both  continents,  and  its  absence  from 
•the  intervening  east  coast  of  America. 

*  Steno.^ramma  interrupta  =:  An  interrupted  mark  or  line. 


Pl.OCAMUTM    COcCINErM.     Lvfio/). 


PLATE  XV. 


RED   ALrG^.  195 

It  grows  in  deep  water,  on  stones  and  weeds,  from 
a  discoid  root,  with  a  short  stem,  which  immediately 
flattens  into  a  thin,  wedge-shaped,  repeatedly  forked 
membrane,  two  to  eight  inches  high,  widely  spreading, 
the  lobes  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  an  inch  wide, 
with  parallel  sides  and  rounded  apices.  The  color 
varies  from  a  pink  to  a  full  red. 

The  fertile  fronds  may  be  known  by  the  interrupted 
or  broken  line  of  very  dark  red  fruit  vessels,  which 
runs  up  the  middle  of  the  frond  and  its  segments, 
quite  like  a  midrib.  Tiie  barren  plants  have  an 
appearance  much  like  that  of  Rhodymenia  coralHna, 
but  may  usually  be  distinguished  from  that  species, 
by  their  much  brighter  red  color.  Fronds  bearing 
asexual  fruit  are  dotted  over  with  irregularly  shaped, 
dark  red  spots.  It  is  reported  on  the  whole  coast 
of  Calfornia,  but  not  very  common  anywhere. 


Ger\u^.^PIKEA,   Harv. 


Ptkea  californica,    Harv. 

This    is    a     common,     coarse,    cartilaginous    plant, 

growing   between   tides   at   all   seasons   along  the  whole 

California   coast.     It   has   a   thickish,    piarrow,    flattened 

frond,    one-eighth     of    an    inch   wide,     three    or    four 


Id6  SMA  MOSSES. 

inches  high,  with  a  spread  of  its  multitude  of  branches 
all  in  one  plane,  in  a  general  fan-shaped  outline, 
quite  as  wide  as  it  is  high.  The  flattened  branches 
spread  out  widely  from  the  two  edges  of  the  main 
stem,  and  divide  and  sub-divide  profusely  and  irreg- 
ularly. The  only  distinguishing  point  in  its  outward 
appearance  is  the  fact  that  all  the  lesser  branches 
are  bordered  along  both  edges  by  a  considerable 
number  of  short,  inward-curved,  forward-pointing, 
spine-like  ramuH,  of  various  lengths,  from  one-tenth 
to  one-fourth  of  an  inch,  short  and  long  mixed  in- 
discriminately. There  seems  also  to  be  an  utter  lack 
of  system  in  the  branching  of  the  plant.  Its  color 
is  a  dark  red,  becoming  much  darker  in  drying.  It 
adheres  imperfectly  to  paper. 


Genus.— FARLOWIA,  Ag, 


Farlowia  compressa,  Ag. 
This  genus,  which  Prof.  Agardh  has  named  in 
honor  of  our  countryman.  Dr.  Farlow,  of  Harvard 
College,  who  is  doing  so  much  fine  work  in  per- 
fecting, and  disseminating  a  knowledge  of  Amer- 
ican Algae,  comprises  two  species,  but  one  of  which 
I  shall  undertake  to  give  an  account  of. 


RED    ALG^.  197 

This  species  is  distributed  along  the  whole  Cali- 
fornia coast,  is  well  marked,  and,  from  its  outward 
resemblance  to  Fikea,  as  well  as  by  its  own  pecu- 
liarities, it  will  not  be  difficult  to  determine. 

It  has  a  coarse,  tough,  leathery  frond,  narrow, 
flattened,  profusely  and  irregularly  branched  from  its 
edges,  in  a  way  quite  impossible  to  describe,  and 
yet  easy  enough  to  recognize  when  once  seen.  It 
grows  to  a  height  of  from  eight  to  twelve  inches, 
aud  has  a  lateral  spread  of  branches  quite  equal  to 
that. 

Most  of  the  fronds  have  a  well-developed  leading 
stem,  though  in  some  it  is  lost  midway  in  the  mul- 
titude of  branches  which  spread  out  each  side. 
Neither  stem  nor  long  branches  are  ever  over  one- 
eighth  of  an  inch  wide,  thickened  in  the  middle, 
roughened,  often  toothed  along  the  edges. 

The  branches  and  branchlets  are  all  tapered 
towards  the  base,  and  mostly  pointed  at  the  top. 
The  ultimate  branchlets  and  ramuli,  which  are  from 
one-half  inch  to  one  inch  long,  show  a  decided 
tendency  to  bend  inward  towards  one  edge  like  a 
sabre. 

The  color  is  a  very  dark  red,  turnmg  almost 
black  in  drying.  It  does  not  very  closely  adhere  to 
paper. 


198  SEA  MOSSES. 

The  other  species,  F.  crassa,  I  have  no  speci- 
mens or  notes  of,  and,  so  can  give  no  account  of 
it.  It  is  a  northern  plant,  and  may  be  found  from 
Santa  Cruz  northward  through  Oregon. 


Okq^u^.—  CHAMPIA*   Ag, 


Champia  parvula,  Harv. 
The  little  Champia  is  an  extremely  variable,  but 
on  our  southern  shores,  a  very  common  plant.  It 
need  not  be  looked  for  north  of  Cape  Cod.  I 
have  found  it  in  abundance  at  Southold,  L.  I.,  New- 
port, near  the  beaches,  Martha's  Vineyard,  Onset 
Bay,  and  at  other  points.  The  fronds  are  filiform. 
Main  stem  and  branches  about  the  size  of  a  pack- 
thread. The  living  plant,  in  the  water,  is  apt  to 
assume  a  globose  appearance,  on  account  of  its  prolific 
and  irregular  branching.  It  grows  to  the  height  of 
from  two  to  six  inches.  It  is  softly  cartilaginous,  and 
adheres  well  to  paper.  Its  distinguishing  mark,  in 
the  typical  form,  is,  that  both  in  the  water  and  on 
paper,  it  is  regularly  and  somewhat  deeply  constricted. 
The  constrictions  vary  in  length  from  once  to  once 
and   a   half  times   the    diameter   of  the    frond.       Thev 

*  Champia  =  A  personal  name. 


RED    ALG^.  199 

are  longest  in  old  parts  of  the  frond,  and  gradually 
shorten  towards  the  ends  of  the  branches,  till  at  last 
they  appear  under  the  lens,  like  a  string  of  very  small 
beads. 

In  other  than  the  normal  forms,  these  constrictions 
are  not  apparent  except  to  a  microscopical  examination. 
The  beginner  is  advised  to  put  doubtful  cases  aside, 
and  wait  till  a  greater  familiarity  with  the  species 
enables  him  to  be  sure  of  them.  I  have  found  the 
typical  forms  to  be  mostly  of  a  brownish  purple  color, 
darker  on  paper,  while  many  of  the  others  are  of  a 
decidedly  pale  green,  touched  with  whitish  yellow  in 
spots,  with  perhaps  here  and  there  brown  branches 
intermingled.  It  is  a  deep  water  plant,  and  may  be 
got  through  the  warm  season. 


Ger\us.—  LOMENTARIA,  Lyngb. 

This  genus  is  represented  by  two  not  very  common 
species  on  our  eastern  coast,  but  one  of  which,  how- 
ever, is  of  sufficient  importance  to  come  within  the 
scope  of  this  book. 

LOMENTARIA    BaILEYANA,    HaRV. 

This  is  a  very  beautiful  little  plant,  growing  in 
globose    tufts,  two    or    three    inches    high.      It    is    of  n 


200  SEA   MOSSES. 

delicate  red  or  pink  color,  and  takes  on  a  variety  of 
interesting  forms,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  which 
is  represented  in  Plate  XL,  Figure  2.  The  normal 
form  is  that  of  a  frond  as  thick  as  a  bristle,  forking 
and  branching  as  it  rises,  the  branches  being  much 
constricted  at  their  insertion,  and  bending  in  grace- 
ful curves  towards  their  extiemity.  Sometimes  the 
main  branches  bend  over  in  the  long  sweep  of  a 
semi-circle,  as  in  the  plate,  and  the  branchlets  spring- 
ing from  the  convex  side  of  the  arched  branch,  in 
their  turn  bend  in  the  same  way,  they  again  being 
beset  externally  with  arched  ramuH. 

The  normal  variety  differs  from  this  only  in  having 
the  parts  less  bent.  But  the  tapering  of  both  branches 
and  ramuli,  to  base  and  apex,  is  characteristic  of 
every  variety.  It  grows  in  deep  water,  four  or  five 
fathoms  down.  It  is  common  south  of  Cape  Cod, 
and  is  not  found  to  the  northward  of  that.  I  found 
nearly  all  forms  of  it  at  Wood's  Holl,  in  August,  and 
Miss  Booth  collects  it  at  Peconic  Bay,  in  that  month. 
The  divaricate  form  makes  an  extremely  beautiful 
and  graceful  picture.  It  adheres  well  to  paper  in 
drying 


RED    ALGAl.  201 

Q,Qx\\i^.—  RHABDONIA*  Harv. 


RhABDONIA   TENERA,t    AG. 

This  genus  is  represented  by  one  species  on  each 
of  our  American  coasts.  The  one  named  first  is  the 
Atlantic  plant.  It  is  found  only  south  of  Cape  Cod, 
where  it  is  a  very  common  but  somewhat  variable 
plant.  In  general  appearance  it  is  not  greatly  unlike 
Gracilaria  multipartita,  differing  mainly  in  color, 
and  in  having  a  cylindrical  and  not  a  flattened  frond. 
The  stem  and  branches  are  somewhat  stouter  than 
a  wrapping  twine. 

The  plant  grows  from  six  to  twelve  inches  high, 
is  very  irregularly  branched,  the  branches  longest  near 
the  bottom  of  the  frond,  shorter  toward  the  top,  but 
always  attenuated  at  base  and  apex.  Sometimes  the 
main  stem  runs  through  the  whole  plant,  sometimes 
it  is  so  divided  into  large  branches  as  to  be  quite  lost 
sight  of.  The  branches  themselves  also  divide,  in  a 
manner  between  branching  and  forking,  and  even  the 
somewhat  profuse  secondary  branches  not  infrequently 
have  scattered  ramuli  upon  them. 

The  frond  manifests  a   marked   tendency  to  flatten- 


*  Rhabdonia  =  Rod-like, 
t  Tenera  =  Tender. 


202  SEA  MOSSES. 

ing,  at  the  point  where  several  branches  put  out 
near  together.  The  fruit  is  produced  on  the  long 
branchlets  in  hemispherical,  wart-like  protuberances, 
as  large  as  grape  seeds. 

The  normal  color  is  a  dark  red,  which  fades  on 
exposure  to  the  air,  and  so  the  plant  may  come  to 
have  almost  any  tint,  according  as  it  has  been  for  a 
longer  or  shorter  time  tossed  about  by  the  weaves, 
exposed  on  the  shore,  or  treated  to  fresh  water  in 
mounting.  It  grows  upon  rocks  and  stones,  several 
feet  below  low-water  mark.  It  is  so  common  every- 
where south  of  Cape  Cod,  that  special  localities  need 
not   be   named.     I    have   found  it  everywhere    in  those 

waters. 

Rhabdonia  Coulteri,  Harv. 

This  species  seems  to  be  as  common  on  the  California 
coast  as  /^.  tenera  is  on  the  Atlantic  shores.  It  differs 
from  that  if  I  may  judge  by  a  somewha^  limited  suite 
of  specimens,  and  from  Harvey's  description  and 
figure,  by  having  a  more  pronounced  leading  stem, 
not  branched  near  the  base,  and  by  having  all  the 
branches  much  shorter  in  proportion  to  the  length 
of  the  plant,  and  crowded  together  towards  the  top 
of  the  frond. 

It  grows  at  low- tide,  and  below,  on  rocks,  and  is 
found   thrown    up    upon    the    beach,    somewhat  rarely, 


RED    ALG^.  203 

from  January  to  March,  at  San  Diego,  and  all  the  year 
around,  in  great  abundance,  at  Santa  Cruz  and  Santa 
Barbara. 

Qrdex.—SPONGIOCARFE^. 
Genus.— FOLYIDES*   Ag. 


POLYIDES    ROTUNDUS,    AG. 

This  is  the  only  species  in  the  genus,  and  the 
only  genus  in  the  order.  Agardh  names  it  P.  lum- 
bricalis,  but  rotundus  appears  to  be  the  older  name. 
The  frond  is  cylindrical,  and  rises  from  a  minute 
disk,  at  first  very  slender,  then  thickens,  and  at  the 
height  of  an  inch,  or  an  inch  and  a  half,  is  as  large 
as  a  knitting-needle,  where  it  widely  divides  or  forks. 

In  the  course  of  half  an  inch  more,  each  of 
the  branches  forks  in  the  same  way;  a  little  further 
on,  all  these  fork,  and  again  these  branchlets,  till 
there  are  six  or  eight  regular  dividings,  each  succes- 
sive one  being  less  wide  and  spreading  than  the  one 
immediately  before  it.  This  gives  the  plant  a  fan- 
shaped  outline.  The  branches  all  keep  their  cylin- 
drical form,  so  that  the  plant  looks  stiff  and  bare, 
notwithstanding  its  much  branching. 

•  Polyides  =  Many-formed. 


204  SEA  MOSSES. 

In  color,  it  is  very  dark  red  when  fresh,  and 
quite  black  when  dry.  It  is  a  perennial,  and  so  may 
be  looked  for  at  all  seasons.  It  grows  in  deep 
water.  I  have  taken  it  at  Marblehead  and  Newport. 
Mr.  Collins  reports  it  in  various  places  about  Massa- 
chusetts Bay,  in  the  summer  and  fall,  in  tide  pools. 
Mrs.  Davis  gets  it  at  Annisquam  in  a  mill  pond. 
Mrs.  Bray  finds  it  washed  ashore  at  Coffin's  Beach, 
Gloucester.  All  report  it  common.-  Miss  Booth  finds 
it  scarce  at  Orient,  It  does  not  adhere  to  paper, 
and  is  far  from  being,  to  the  generality,  an  inter- 
esting plant. 

Order.— B  A  TRA  CHE  OSPERME^, 
denus—NEMALWN*   Ag, 


Nemalion  multifidum,  Ag. 

The  many-times-divided  Nemalion  is  a  summer 
annual,  growing  attached  to  the  surface  of  rocks,  on 
the  sea  bottom,  which  are  uncovered  at  low  tide. 
It  much  affects  the  smooth,  rounded  surface  of  the 
hard,  granitic,  sea-worn  boulders,  which  lie  low  down, 
between  tides,  all  along  our  New  England  coast. 
Where  nothing   else   seems   able   to   make   a  foot-hold, 

*  Nenj^Hoo  =  Crop  of   strings. 


RED   ALG^,  205 

or  keep  its  place   against    the    beating    of   the  fierce 

waves,  we  often  find  numbers  of  these  worm-like 
fironds  fastened  and  flourishing. 

At  Marble  head,  in  early  June,  I  have  seen  these 
boulders  lying  clean,  smooth,  and  hard,  warming  in 
the  sun,  when  the  tide  was  out,  with  no  trace  of 
vegetation  on  them.  In  early  July,  I  have  found 
the  young  fronds  of  the  Nemalion  just  sprouting  up, 
half  an  inch  high  or  so.  By  the  middle  or  last  of 
August,  they  would  be  a  foot  long,  full  grown,  and 
in  perfect  fruit.  But  on  visiting  the  place  in  Octo- 
ber, I  have  found  no  trace  of  them  left. 

They  have  ripened,  produced  the  living  crop  of 
spores,  discharged  them  into  the  sea,  and  so  having 
accomplished  their  life-function,  have  vanished  again 
fi-om  among  living  forms. 

Where  and  how  the  spores  pass  the  intervening 
months,  from  October  to  June,  in  the  midst  of  the 
furious  waves,  and  then  come  back  to  their  native 
habitat,  on  the  smooth,  rounded  faces  of  these  bare 
boulders,  there  to  germinate  and  grow,  and  accom- 
plish the  circle  of  their  life-history,  "is  something  no 
fellow  can  find  out ;"  and  it  always  seemed  to  me 
a  very  wonderful  and  mysterious  thing. 

Nemalion  mulHfidiim  has  a  cord-like  frond  as 
thick  as  a  match,    six    to    twelve    inches   long,   when 


206  SEA   MOSSES. 

full  grown,  very  elastic  and  tough.  It  divides  and 
sub-divides  by  regular  forkings,  the  axils  being  wide 
and  rounded.  Sometimes  a  frond,  or  a  branch,  will 
divide  into  three  or  four  lobes  at  the  same  point, 
spreading  out  like  the  fingers  of  the  hand  when 
widely  opened.  Again,  the  forkings  will  follow  each 
other,  in  rapid  succession,  and  again,  only  at  long 
intervals.  Usually  several,  and  often  quite  a  bundle 
of  fronds,  spring  from  the  same  discoid  hold-fast 
upon  the  rock.  The  color  is  dark  brown  or  purple. 
It  shrinks  much  in  drying,  and  adheres  closely  to 
paper.  When  in  fruit,  it  makes  interesting  micro- 
scopical specimens.  It  is  common  from  Long  Island 
Sound  northward.  I  have  found  it  as  plentiful  at 
Newport,  as  at  Marblehead. 


Qenws—SCINAIA,  Bivon, 


SCINAIA    FURCELLATA,     BlVON. 

The  forked  Scinaia  is  not  a  very  common  plant, 
but  is  worth  looking  for  wherever  it  is  likely  to  be 
found,  viz. :  in  our  warmer  seas,  south  of  Cape  Cod, 
especially  at  Newport,  Gay  Head,  and  Katama, 
Mass.,  and  in  California,  where  it  is  said  to  be  quite 
common.     I   took    several    fine   plants   in   Newport  in 


RED   ALG^.  207 

July.  It  is  a  summer  amiual,  of  a  fine  lake-red 
color,  not  over  four,  and  usually  not  over  two  inches 
high. 

The  frond  is  cylindrical,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  tapering  much  at  the  base,  sometimes  con- 
stricted at  intervals,  and  repeatedly  and  regularly 
forking  as  it  rises.  The  frond  divides  and  subdivides 
six  or  eight  times,  and  finally  ends  in  little  forks, 
hence  its  name.  All  the  branches  attain  the  same 
length,  so  that  the  plant  is  "level-topped,"  and  its 
outline,  when  carefully  laid  out  on  paper,  is  almost  a 
perfect  semi-circle.  It  adheres  well,  and  must  not 
be  subjected  to  too  much  pressure  at  first.  The 
ultimate  branchlets  are  usually  thickened  a  Uttle.  It 
makes  an  interesting  and  sometimes  a  beautifiil  specimen. 
It  grows  in  deep  water. 


Order.—  GIGARTINEyE, 
Qenus.—  PBYLLOFBORA*  Grev. 

The  characteristic  of  the  genus  is  a  hard,  cylindrical 

stem,  considerably  branched,  from  one   to  three  inches 

long,   and   bearing  upon   the   end  of   the   branches  a 
small,  wedge-shaped,  red  leaflet. 

•  Pbyllophora  =  Leaf-bearing. 


208  SEA  MOSSES. 

Phyllophora  membranifolia,*  Ag. 

This  is  the  more  common  species  of  the  two  which 
are  natives  of  our  waters.  It  especially  loves  the 
warmer  seas,  though  it  is  reported  as  not  uncommon 
on  our  northern  shores.  Mrs.  Davis  collects  it  at 
Magnolia,  and  Mr.  Collins  at  Revere.  I  found  it  at 
Newport  and  Wood's  Holl,  in  great  abundance,  especially 
at  the  last  named  place.  It  grows  in  deep  water  on 
pebbles  and  rocks.  From  an  expanded  disk  upon 
the  stone,  fifteen  or  twenty  cylindrical  fronds  some- 
times arise  in  a  bunch.  At  the  height  of  half  an  inch 
they  begin  an  irregular  branching. 

The  branches  are  short  and  stiffs  and  stumpy.  Some 
of  them  soon  expand  into  various  sized  wedge-shaped 
leaflets,  from  one-fourth  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch 
long ;  others  appear  merely  flattened  and  then  truncated  ; 
others  bear  the  minute  lobes  of  young  sprouting  leaf- 
lets. The  typical  leaflets  are  once  or  twice  lobed  or 
forked.  The  plants  grow  from  one  and  one-half  to 
six  inches  high,  of  a  clear  red  color,  and  the  old  ones 
are  often  incrusted  with  parasites,  patches  of  polyzcm 
or  of  calcarious  Algae.  It  is  a  perennial. 
Phyllophora  Brodi^i,  Ag. 

This  is   said   to  be  very  common  in  deep  water  at 

*  Mepibranifolia  =  A  membraneous  leaf. 


RED    ALG^S. 


Halifax,  and  in  northern  regions   generally.      It   differs 
from   the   last   in   having  a  much   less  branched  stem, 
and  a  much   broader   and   larger   leaflet.      Yet   this   is 
very   variable    both   in   size    and   form.     But   the    frond 
is  much  more  simple,  and  of  a  somewhat  more  robust 
habit   than   P.   membranifolia.       The   leaflet   is    deeply 
lobed,  but  all   the   segments   keep   their  wedge-shaped 
outline,  and  are  themselves  indented  at  the  top.      The 
color  is   a   clear,  strong  red.     It  grows  in  deep  water, 
and  is  a  perennial.     I   have   never   collected   it.     Mr. 
Collins  finds  it  occasionally  at  Nahant,  in  October,  and 
Mrs.   Davis   finds   it   in   the   fall,  on  the  open  beaches, 
about   Gloucester,  after   a   storm.      It   has   been   found 
as   a  rarity,  by   Miss   Booth,   washed   ashore  at  Orient. 
It  has  the  same  geographical  range  as  the  other  species. 
Neither  of  these   plants  adhere  to  paper,  nor  are  they 
especially  interesting  to  the  general  collector. 


(^Qx\\i%.—  GYMNOGONGRUS*  Mart 

This   genus   is   represented   by   one  species  on  the 
Atlantic  and  three  on  the  Pacific  coast,  in  our  flora. 

Gymnogongrus  Norvegicus,  Ag. 
The  Norway  species    is    reported   at  many  places 

Gymnogongrus  =  Naked  warts,  seed  v« 


210  SEA  MOSSES. 

on  our  coast,  Peaks  Island,  Me.,  Beverly  and  Nahant 
Mass,  and  New  York,  But  I  do  not  think  it  can  be 
a  very  common  plant,  for  I  have  never  happened  to 
tind  it  growing,  and  none  of  my  correspondents  have 
seemed  to  be  more  fortunate  than  myself.  It  grows 
in  deep  water,  about  two  inches  high,  from  a  little 
disk,  by  a  stem  at  first  cylindrical,  twice  as  thick  as 
a  bristle.  In  half  an  inch  it  forks,  sending  out  a 
main  branch  each  way.  In  half  an  inch  more  it 
flattens  to  one-eighth  of  an  inch  wide,  and  forks  again 
with  a  wide,  rounded  axil.  Directly  these  again  fork 
in  the  same  way,  till  five  or  six  divisions  have  been 
made,  and  the  ultimate  lobes  will  be  one-fourth  to 
one-half  an  inch  long,  standing  wide  apart,  and 
rounded  at  the  end.  It  has  a  darkish  red  color  on 
paper. 

Gymnogongrus  leptophyllus,*  Ag. 

This  plant  somewhat  resembles  the  last.  Like  that, 
the  frond  is  flat  and  narrow,  but  the  stalk  is  shorter 
and  not  so  cylindrical.  Starting  from  a  discoid 
hold-fast,  a  small,  narrow,  flat  stem  arises,  which 
either  branches  at  once,  or  forks  at  the  height  of 
half  an  inch,  into  two  widely  spreading  parts.  These 
divide   and   sub-divide,  in   the  same  way,  two  or   three 

•  Leptophyllus  =  Thin-leaved. 


RED    ALGjE.  ^  211 

times.  In  a  plant  two  inches  high,  none  of  the 
parts  are  over  one-tenth  of  an  inch  wide,  and 
usually  not  more  than  one-sixteenth.  The  fertile 
fronds  have  little  hemispherical  fruit-vessels  scattered 
over  them. 

The  substance  of  the  frond  is  thin,  but  carti- 
laginous and  tough ;  the  color,  a  darkish  or  brownish 
red.  It  adheres  imperfectly  to  paper.  It  grows  along 
the  coast  northward  from  Santa  Barbara,  not  very 
common,  on  rocks,  between  tides,  at  all  seasons. 

Gymnogongrus   Griffithsi/e,   Ag. 

The  color,  size,  and  method  of  branching  of 
this  plant  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  the  last. 
But  it  differs  from  that  by  not  being  flat,  but  quite 
cylindrical.  The  frond  is  not  thicker  than  a  bristle. 
It  grows  from  one  and  one-half  to  two  and  one- 
half  inches  high,  in  tufts,  upon  rocks,  between  tides, 
each  frond  somewhat  regularly  forking  three  or  four 
times.  The  "fruit  is  held  in  little,  dark-colored,  j)romi- 
nent  swellings,  in  the  end  branches.  It  has  the  same 
geographical  range,  and  the  same  habitat  as  the  last. 

Gymnogongrus  linearis,  Ag. 

This  is  a  much  larger  plant  than  either  of  the 
others,    some    in    my   herbarium    being    not    less   than 


212  -  SEA  MOSSES. 

six  inches  high,  and  eight  inches  in  the  spread  of 
the  frond.  The  general  habit  of  growth  is  the  same 
as  that  of  G.  leptophyllus. 

Rising  by  a  flattened  stem,  which,  two  inches 
from  the  base,  widely  forks,  the  two  parts  themselves 
fork  three  or  four  times.  The  segments  are  nowhere 
more  than  one-fifth  of  an  inch  wide,  and  all  gradu- 
ally taper  towards  the  end,  the  ultimate  ones  being 
long  and  slender. 

The  fruit-vessels  stand  out  like  hemispherical 
warts,  one-tenth  to  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter, upon  the  flat  side  of  the  frond.  Color  of  the 
plant  a  dark  red ;  substance,  thickish,  cartilaginous^ 
leathery.  The  general  distribution  and  habitat  are 
the  same  as  that  of  the  other  Pacific  species,  along 
the  whole  coast  of  California. 


Gexwis.—AIfNFELTIA*  Ag. 


AhNFELTIA     PLICATA,t     Fr. 

This  species  is  very  common  from  New  York 
northward,  and  is  also  found  sparingly  at  some  points, 
on   the  west   coast.     It   is    extremely   easy   of    identifi- 

*  Ahnfeltia.      Named   for  Ahnfelt,    a  German   botanist, 
t  Plicata  =  Folded  or  doubled   up. 


RED   ALG^.  213 

cation.  If  you  find  thrown  upon  the  beach,  or 
growing  upon  the  rocks,  between  tides,  a  tangled 
bunch  of  black,  branched,  crooked,  very  stiff,  wire- 
like sea-weed,  half  as  big  as  your  fist,  or  larger, 
the  wires  as  thick  as  large  pins,  or  knitting-needles, 
you  may  be  sure  it  is  A.  plicata. 

It  is  very  irregularly  and  profusely  branched, 
sometimes  by  widely  forking,  sometimes  four  or  five 
branches  will  grow  out  close  together  from  the  side 
of  the  stem,  and  perpendicular  to  it;  and  the  parts 
spreading  and  bending  by  sharp  angles  in  all  ways, 
the  plant  will  be  tangled  and  intricate,  beyond  de- 
scription. 

Again,  it  will  grow  up,  and  by  the  upward  ten- 
dency of  the  branches,  and  something  like  regular 
forkings,  will  attain  a  considerable  perpendicular 
height,  six  to  ten  inches,  or  so,  and  appear  to  have 
some  systematic  plan  of  life.  These  forms,  I  have 
collected  somewhat  abundantly  at  Newport.  But  the 
first-described  aspect  is  by  far  the  most  common. 

On  being  exposed  on  the  beach  for  some  time, 
it  will  be  found  faded  or  bleached  perfectly  white. 
It  does  not  adhere  to  paper,  and  is  altogether  as 
unmanageable  a  bit  of  vegetable  crookedness  and 
perversity,  as  one  would  care  to  meet.  It  is  too 
common  to  require  the  naming  of  special  localities. 


214  SEA  MOSSES, 

Ahnfeltia  gigartinoides,  Ag. 

This  plant  is  found  only  on  the  California  coast. 
It  is  reported  not  common  at  Santa  Cruz  and  quite 
rare  at  Santa  Barbara.  It  is  a  more  robust  and,  by 
far.  less  profusely  or  irregularly  branching  plant,  than 
the  last. 

The  specimens  in  my  herbarium  are  six  inches 
high,  some  of  them  rising  for  three  inches  in  a 
single  cyhndrical  stem,  and  then  forking  regularly  and 
evenly  in  one  plane  six  times,  giving  sixty-four  ter- 
minal points  to  the  plant.  Others  fork  fewer  times, 
and  less  widely,  and  nearer  the  bottom  of  the  stem, 
and  then  stretch  out  in  long  segments  two  or  three 
inches,  before  they  divide  for  the  second  and  third 
time.  Like  the  other,  it  does  not  adhere  to  paper, 
and  its  substance  is  hard  and  horny  when  dry. 
Color,  a  dark  red. 


Qexwxs.—  CYSTOCLONIUM*  Kutz. 


CySTOCLONIUM   PURPURASCENS,    KtJTZ. 

The  purple  Cystodonium  is  a  very  common,  some- 
times    a     provokingly    common,    coarse,    bushy,    and 

*  Cystodonium  =  Bladdery  branches. 


RED    ALG^,  215 

* 

generally    uninteresting    plant.       It    grows    everywhere 

along   our   eastern   coast,    but    more   plentiful,    I  think, 

in  our   northern  waters.     At   least,   my    correspondents 

so  report   it.     It   grows   between   tides,    on   the   rocks, 

in  tide  pools,  and  in  deep  water. 

The  main  stem  runs  through  the  whole  plant, 
thick  as  a  match,  somewhat  translucent  and  fleshy, 
a  foot  or  so  high,  when  full  grown.  It  is  irregularly 
much  branched  all  around,  with  branches  which  are 
themselves  branched  like  the  main  stem.  The  ultimate 
branches  are  somewhat  narrowed  at  the  base,  and 
attenuated  into  acute  points,  and  sometimes  into 
long,  slender,  hair-like  prolongations  at  the  top. 

In  variety  cirrhosa,  these  attenuated  ramuli  have 
the  habit  of  twisting  themselves  into  spirals,  like  the 
tendrils  of  the  pea  or  grape  vine,  and  wind  them- 
selves about  the  branches  of  neighboring  plants,  quite 
after  the  manner  of  their  more  cultivated  cousins,  the 
vines.  The  variety,  is  perhaps  quite  as  common  as 
the  normal  form  on  pur  shores,  and  will  be  likely 
first  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  attentive  eye,  to 
the  species. 

Much  trimming  will  be  needed  to  make  the  plant 
presentable  on  paper.  The  color  varies  from  a  light 
red  brown  to  a  dark  purple,  or  even  black,  when  dry. 
You   will   often  find  that  the  lesser  branches  are  much 


216  SEA  MOSSES. 

swollen  at  points,  into  what  appear  to  be  little 
''bladders,"  as  the  name  of  the  plant  mentions. 
This  is  caused  by  the  interior  nodules  of  fruit  bulging 
the  ramulus  out  at  these  points.  It  may  be  collected 
during  the  whole  season.  In  some  places  it  will 
make  no  inconsiderable  part  of  the  mass  of  smaller 
weeds,  which  are  found  piled  up  on  the  beach. 


Genus.— CALL OFUVLLIS*  KUtz. 

One  of  the  marked  features,  of  the  marine  flora 
of  California,  are  the  large  and  brilliant  plants  of  this 
genus.  None  of  the  red  Algae  excel  them  in  brilliancy 
of  color,  and  few  in  size  of  plant,  in  spread  of  frond, 
or  variety  of  form.  They  are  common  everywhere 
on  the   coast,  and  grow  mostly  in  deep  water. 

Callophyllis  variegata,  Ag. 

None  are  more  common  or  more  variable  than 
the  plants  of  this  species.  It  is  rightly  named.  Plate 
XVI.  shows  a  common,  and  what  may  be  considered 
a  typical  form  of  it.  It  gives  at  least  the  general 
method  of  the  division  of  the  frond.  And  yet  many 
plants  are  far  removed  from  this  form,  by  having  all 
the    segments    very   narrow    and    long,    one-eighth    of 

*  Callophyllis  =  Beautiful  leaf. 


RED    ALG^.  217 

an  inch  wide,  and  six  inches  long ;  or  very  wide, 
from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  quarter  broad,  and 
no  more  than   half  a  foot  long. 

But  the  deeply  cleft,  widely  spreading,  flat  frond, 
with  the  segments  wedge-shaped,  and  the  extreme 
ends  of  all  the  parts  notched  in,  more  or  less  angularly, 
are  unmistakable  marks  of  the  species  under  all  forms. 
It  adheres  fairly  well  to  paper.  Color,  from  a  darkish 
to  a  bright  red.  The  older  parts  of  the  plant  are 
thick.  The  fruit  appears  in  hemispherical  warts, 
scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  frond.  Dr.  Farlow 
expressed  to  me  the  opinion,  that  California  plants, 
which  have  been  distributed  under  the  name  C. 
discigera,  are  only  extreme  forms  of  C.  variegata, 
while  those  which  have  been  called  by  collectors  C. 
ornata,  are  really  none  other  than  members  of  the 
species  to  be  next  described,  viz. : 

Callophyllis   furcata,   Farlow. 

Starting  from  a  mere  point,  where  the  frond 
is  attached,  it  widens  out  till  it  is  from  half 
an  inch  to  an  inch  wide,  and  several  inches 
long,  and  then  divides  in  various  ways,  mostly 
by  the  process  of  splitting.  The  clefts  are  narrow 
and  deep,  and  some  of  them  run  near  to  the 
base    of    the     frond ;    or    starting    together    from     the 


218  SEA  MOSSES, 

widest  part,  the  clefts  run  to  the  end  outward,  and 
the  segments  are  arranged  Uke  the  fingers  of  the 
hand,  when  spread  apart  somewhat ;  or  the  frond  may- 
be long  and  narrow,  with  an  occasional  fork. 

In  every  case,  except  that  of  the  deeply  cleft  fronds, 
the  lobes  are  bordered  on  both  edges  by  a  multitude 
of  tongue-shaped  leaflets,  from  one  to  two  inches 
long,  and  from  one-eighth  to  one-half  an  inch  wide, 
much  attenuated  at  base,  and  with  a  somewhat 
rounded  point  at  top.  The  color  is  a  deep,  darkish 
red.  The  substance  is  firm,  and  in  old  plants,  thick 
and  hard  when  dry.  The  fruit,  in  prominent  warts, 
is  scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  frond.  The  plants 
in  my  herbarium  range  from  four  to  fourteen  inches 
in  height.  It  grows  between  tides  at  all  seasons, 
and  is  not  uncommon  at  Santa  Cruz,  and  other  parts 
of  the  coast 

Callophyllis  flabellulata,  Harv. 

This  species  is  more  decidedly  fan-shaped  in 
outline,  and  in  the  division  and  spread  of  its  main 
branches,  than  either  of  the  other  species.  The  prin- 
ciple stem  forks,  but  not  widely,  and  these  again 
fork ;  then,  at  a  distance  of  half  an  inch  or  so,  they 
divide  into  half  a  dozen  different  segments,  each  of 
which  repeats  the  same  process,  two  or  three  times. 
The  segments   are  from  one-fourth  to  one-sixteenth  of 


Cai.koimivlli.s  varii;(;a  ia,   ^lo. 


PLATE  X\ 


RED    ALG^.  219 

an   inch   wide,  and  the  extreme  ends   are   notched  in, 
not  unlike  those  of  the  Euthora  cristata. 

Agardh  takes  notice  that  the  whole  plant  resembles 
some  forms  of  that  species.  I  am  not  informed 
whether  or  not  they  are  commonly  found  larger  than 
those  in  ray  herbarium.  These  are  two  inches  high, 
and  about  three  inches  wide.  The  color  is  a  bright 
rose  red,  and  the  substance  thin  and  delicate,  adher- 
ing well  to  paper.  It  is  a  common  plant  at  all 
seasons,  north  of  Santa  Barbara,  and  grows  between 
tides  and  below,  on  other  Algae. 


Genus.—  GIGARTINA*  Lam. 

This  genus,  which  has  several  large  and  showy 
species  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  in  other  parts  of 
the  world,  has  but  one,  rather  humble  and  insignificant 
representative,  on  our  eastern  shores. 

The  fronds  of  the  Pacific  plants  are  inclined  to 
be  thick,  fleshy  and  bulky ;  and  all  the  species  show, 
in  some  form,  the  presence  of  the  papillose  or  tuber- 
culose  processes,  which  characterize,  and  give  the 
genus  its  name.  The  plants  are  of  a  decidedly 
gelatinous  substance,   and    one   can    readily   see,    that 

•  Gigartina  =  Grape  stones,  referring  to  fruit-beariug  tubercles  on  the  frond. 


220  SEA   MOSSES. 

they   might  be   easily   applied   to   culinary  uses  in  the 
same  way  as  the  "'  Irish  Moss." 

GiGARTINA   MAMILLOSA,    AG. 

This  plant  grows  near  low-tide,  in  Massachusetts 
Bay,  and  northward,  upon  the  rocks,  among  the 
"  Irish  Moss  "  or  Chondriis  crispus,  which  it  much 
resembles  in  appearance.  It  has  very  much  the 
same  habit  of  growth,  a  flattened,  leathery,  tough 
frond,  forking  from  near  the  base,  dividing  and  sub- 
dividing in  the  same  way,  broadly  and  openly.  The 
segments  are  more  or  less  wedge-shaped,  and  have 
a  tendency  to  roll  their  edges  inward,  toward  one 
surface,  making  a  channel  on  that  side.  It  differs 
from  the  Chondrus,  by  having  on  the  inside,  or  con- 
cave side  of  the  frond,  a  numerous  growth  of  papillose 
protuberances.  These  readily  distinguish  the  plant, 
and  give  it  its  specific  name. 

I  have  collected  it  in  considerable  quantities  at 
Marblehead,  and  Mrs.  Davis  and  Mrs.  Bray  find  it 
among  the  commonest  plants  on  Cape  Ann,  as  Mr. 
Collins  does  also  at  Nahant.  It  is  common  at  Santa 
Cruz  and  northward.  The  color  is  a  very  dark  purple, 
black  and  rigid  when  dry.  It  does  not  adhere  to 
paper. 


RED    ALG^.  221 

GiGARTINA   RADULA,*    AG. 

This,  and  the  remaining  species  of  this  genus, 
are  exclusively  natives  of  the  Pacific  coast.  This  is 
the  largest  and  most  pretentious  species  of  the  genus. 
It  has  a  large,  flat,  thick,  dark,  livid  red  frond,  which 
takes  on  in  different  plants  quite  a  variety  of  forms 
and  outHnes.  But  in  the  main,  it  is  simple,  or  if 
divided,  then  only  by  the  presence  of  one  or  two 
clefts  of  greater  or  less  depth. 

It  puts  out  no  branches  or  leaflets,  but  is  more 
or  less  thickly  peppered  over  with  warly  protuberances, 
which  seen  along  the  edges  of  the  frond  in  profile, 
appear  to  be  mostly  minute  globes,  a  half  or  a  quarter 
as  large  as  a  pin  head,  set  upon  short  stalks. 

The  frond  itself  rises  from  a  short,  flattened  stem, 
from  which  it  more  or  less  rapidly  widens  to  a  breadth 
of  several  inches,  then,  in  the  simpler  forms,  rounds 
off",  usually  very  bluntly,  at  the  top.  The  largest  speci- 
men in  my  herbarium  is  fourteen  inches  long,  and  six 
inches  wide  in  the  middle,  tapering  more  rapidly 
and  acutely  to  the  top  than  to  the  bottom.  But  another 
specimen,  ten  inches  long,  and  four  and  a  half  broad, 
tapers  quite  acutely  to  the  base,  and  is  very  broad 
and  blunt  at  top,  even  cut  in,  heart-shaped. 

*  Radula  «=  A  scraper. 


222  SEA  MOSSES. 

I  have  seen  much  larger  plants  than  either  of 
these.  The  variety  exasperata,  grows  two  or  three 
feet  long,  and  six  to  ten  inches  wide.  But  the  heavy, 
thick,  mostly  simple,  flat  frond  will  serve  to  distinguish 
this  from  either  of  the  other  species.  My  California 
correspondents  all  report  it  very  common  from  San 
Diego  to  Santa  Cruz,  growing  between  tides,  on  rocks 
the  year  around,  or  below  tide,  and  in  the  sluice 
ways.  It  is  truly  a  noble  plant,  and  with  its  livid  red 
color  must  be  a  striking  feature,  rising  and  faUing  in 
the  green  waters. 

GiGARTINA   SPINOSA,*    KUTZ. 

This  resembles  the  last  species  only  in  its  thick, 
leathery  substance,  and  its  roughened,  spiney  surface. 
The  protuberances  are  pointed,  and  not  rounded  at 
the  end,  as  in  G.  radiila,  and  they  often  attain  con- 
siderable length. 

The  form  of  the  frond  is  extremely  variable.  Some- 
times it  rises  from  a  cyHndrical  stem,  flattens  broadly, 
and  then  divides,  as  the  hand  divides  into  fingers. 
Again",  it  keeps  its  main  frond  entire,  and  simple,  taper- 
ing gradually  and  gracefully  to  base  and  apex,  and 
throws  out  from  each  edge  a  multitude  of  long,  narrow 
leaflets,   pointed  above  and  below.     These   are  some- 

*  Spinosa  =:  Thorny. 


RED    ALG^,  223 

times  simple,  and  sometimes  forked,  from  one  to  three 
inches  long,  and  from  one-eighth  to  one-third  of  an 
inch  wide. 

Both  the  main  frond  and  the  leaflets  are  covered 
with  a  profusion  of  the  stout  spinose,  or  papillose 
processes  peculiar  to  the  genus.  Color,  a  dark  red, 
brown,  or  purple.  It  grows  from  six  to  twelve  inches 
high,  upon  the  rocks,  between  tides,  and  below,  at  all 
seasons.  Dr.  Dimmick  and  Mrs.  Bingham  report  it 
very  common  at  Santa  Barbara,  upon  the  rocks  near 
shore.  But  Mr.  Cleveland  at  San  Diego,  and  Dr. 
Anderson  at  Santa  Cruz,  find  it  not  So  plentiful  as 
the  last,  or  the  next  species. 

GiGARTINA   MICROPHYLLA,*    HaRV. 

The  most  characteristic  difference  between  this 
plant  and  the  two  preceding  species,  is  its  much 
lighter  and  thinner  frond,  and  its  slenderer,  spore- 
bearing  spines.  It  rises  from  a  disk  by  a  flattened 
short  stem,  which  more  or  less  rapidly  expands  into 
a  wide,  thin,  flat  frond.  This  remains  simple  or  else 
divides  into  two  or  three  segments,  each  of  which 
tapers  into  a  long,  slender,  pointed  apex.  This  atten- 
uation of  the  plant  at  the  top,  seems  to  be  character- 
istic  of   the   species.     It  is   thickly   covered  with  the 

Microphylla  =^  Small-leaved. 


224  SEA  MOSSES. 

long  slender  spines,  and  often  bears  a  few  small, 
thin  leaflets  along  its  edges.  It  grows  to  the  height 
of  twelve  or  sixteen  inches  or  more,  and  is  an  inch 
or  an  inch  and  a  half  wide.  The  color  is  a  deep, 
brownish  red.  It  is  abundant  along  the  whole  Cali- 
fornia coast.  It  may  be  found  near  the  wharf,  at 
Santa  Barbara,  and  at  the  beach,  and  mussel  beds, 
at  La  JoUa,  San  Diego. 

A  plant,  which  the  botanists  have  insisted  upon 
calling  a  variety  of  this,  var.  horrida,  but  which  differs 
from  it  in  all  respects,  quite  as  much  as  G.  spinosa 
does,  is  very  common  along  the  whole  coast.  It  is 
a  much  smaller  plant,  thicker,  and  darker  colored, 
and  vastly  more  profusely  and  irregularly  divided,  and 
branched,  than  the  typical  form.  It  is  literally  clothed 
in  almost  every  part,  with  long,  closely  set,  simple 
or  branched  spines.  Its  appearance  well  entitles  it 
to  the  cognomen  "  horrid."  It  is  present  in  considerable 
numbers,  in  almost  every  gathering  of  California 
"  Sea  Mosses "  which  one  gets.  Why  it  is  not  worthy 
of  a  regular  specific  "  local  habitation  and  a  name," 
is  more  than  appears  clear  to  me. 

GiGARTINA    CANALICULATA,     HaRV. 

This,  also,  is  a  very  common  species  on  the  Cal- 
ifornia  coast,  but    quite    unlike    any   other   representa- 


RED    ALG^,  225 

live  of  the  genus  found  there.  It  rises  from  a  few 
matted  fibres  in  a  narrow,  flattened  stem,  one-tenth 
of  an  inch  wide,  whose  edges  are  shghtly  turned 
upon  one  side,  making  a  channel  on  that  side,  and 
leaving  the  other  slightly  convex.  It  is  bare  for  an 
inch  or  more,  and  then  forks  or  irregularly  branches 
from  its  two  edges.  The  opposite  branches  divide 
and  sub-divide  once  or  twice,  after  a  more  or  less 
pinnate  fashion.  The  ultimate  ramuh,  which  are  mi- 
nute spines,  often  bear  the  fruit  in  swollen  and 
rounded  vessels,  developed  in  their  middle  in  such  a 
way  as  frequently  to  turn  the  end  of  the  spine  down 
at  right  angles  to  its  general  axis,  so  as  to  make 
the  whole  bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  a  minute 
bird's  head,  bill  and  ah. 

It  grows  in  dense  tufts,  from  two  to  four  inches 
high,  in  tide  pools,  and  on  the  rocks  between  tides, 
all  the  season  through.  Dr.  Dimmick  collects  it  at 
Castle  Point,  Santa  Barbara,  but  it  may  be  looked 
for,  I  suppose,  in  favorable  localities  everywhere. 
The  younger  parts  of  the  plant  adhere  well  to  paper. 


«5 


226  SEA   MOSSES, 

Gerwis.— CBONDRUS*  Lam. 
Chondrus  CRispus,t   Lyngb. 

This  is  the  famous  "  Irish  Moss "  of  commerce. 
It  is  collected  in  large  quantities  on  our  eastern 
coast,  exposed  to  the  sun  to  dry  and  bleach,  and 
then  sold  to  the  grocer  for  his  customers  to  make 
blanc  mange  of.  It  grows  very  common  upon  the 
rocks  between  tides,  and  a  little  below,  and  is  as 
variable  a  plant  as  it  is  common.  It  is  so  well 
known  in  the  East  that  it  hardly  need  a  special  de- 
scription. For  others,  I  may,  perhaps,  venture  to  ap- 
pend a  brief  account. 

The  fronds  are  from  three  to  six  inches  high; 
thick,  tough  and  leathery.  At  first,  it  is  a  flattened 
stem ;  this,  at  the  height  of  an  inch  or  more,  when 
it  is  from  one-eighth  to  one-half  an  inch  broad, 
forks  widely.  Thence,  at  varying  distances,  the  parts 
divide  and  sub-divide,  in  the  same  way  five  or  six 
times.  The  frond  exhibits  all  the  possible  variations 
between  the  long  and  narrow,  and  the  short  and 
tvide,  and  all  shades  of  color,  between  an  olive  green 
jid  a  very  dark  purple,  or  jet  black. 

The   purple   and   other   dark   shades   are   apt  to  be 

♦  Chondrus  ^  Cartilage. 
t  Crispus  as  Curled. 


RED    ALGyE.  227 

sheeny,  or  iridescent,  in  the  water,  and  are  some- 
times among  the  most  beautiful  plants  to  be  found 
growing  in  the  tide  pools,  especially  when  the  sun 
shines  upon  them.  It  turns  much  darker,  and  does 
not  adhere  to  paper,  in  drying.  Its  geographical 
range  is  from  the  Carolinas  north,  on  the  east  coast. 
It  is  not  found  on  the  Pacific  side  of  the  conti- 
nent, though  two  other  species  of  the  genus,  which 
I  have  not  thought  it  best  to  give  an  account  of, 
do  occur  there,  viz. :  C.  canaliculatus  and  C.  affiniSy 
the  latter  of  which,  Dr.  Farlow  thinks,  may  be  a 
variety  of  the  former. 


G^enus.—IRID^A*  Bory. 


Irid^a  laminarioides,  Bory. 

This  species  sufficiently  characterizes  the  genus. 
It  has  a  large,  wide,  thick,  membraneous  frond,  aris- 
ing from  a  stalk  two  inches  long,  which  is  at  first 
cylindrical  and  then  flattened.  The  frond  is  usually 
simple,  though  sometimes  lobed ;  from  one  to  two 
feet  long  and  from  one  to  three  inches  wide,  smooth 
when   barren,  warty  when  bearing  the   true   fruit,    and 

*  Iridza  =  Many  colors. 


a^  SJ£A   MOSSES. 

thickly    dotted     over,    when   bearing    tetraspores,    with 
small,  colored,  raised  spots. 

Dried,  the  plant  is  stiff,  substantial,  and  tough, 
and  of  a  very  dark  red  color.  It  is  among  the 
commonest  of  plants  at  Santa  Cruz,  at  all  seasons, 
near  low-tide  mark  on  the  rocks,  and  in  tide  pools. 
It  is  very  scarce  at  Santa  Barbara,  growing  on  small 
rocks  near  low-tide,  and  is  altogether  absent  at  San 
Diego.  No  representative  of  the  genus  is  found  on 
our  eastern  shores. 


Order.—  CRYPTONEMIE^, 
Genu^.—  FRIONITIS*   Ag. 

This  is  a  very  common  form  on  the  whole  of 
the  west  coast.  The  genus  is  characterized  when 
dry,  by  a  thickish,  hard,  smooth,  leathery,  flat  frond, 
of  a  dark  red-brown  color. 

Prionitis  lanceolata,   Harv. 

The  specific  name  refers  to  the  lance-shaped 
leaflets,  which  are  found  upon  the  edges  of  its 
branches.  The  plant  has  a  narrow,  flattened  frond, 
one-tenth  of  an  inch  wide,  which  sparingly  forks,  or 
branches    from    its    two    edges,    in     a    very    irregular, 

*  Prionitis  =  A  little  saw. 


RED   ALG^.  229 

straggling  manner,  usually  with  long  distances  between 
the  divisions.  Although  it  is  an  extremely  variable 
plant,  it  is  not  difficult  to  recognize,  when  once 
known,  as  it  contrives,  in  some  way,  to  show  its  spe- 
cific peculiarity,  viz. :  the  putting  out  of  minute  lance- 
shaped  leaflets,  along  the  edges  of  the  long,  ultimate 
branchlets,  which  always  stand  out  perpendicularly  to 
the  axis  of  the  branch.  These  are  very  much  con- 
stricted at  the  base,  but  rounded  more  or  less  at 
the  top,  and  are  from  one-sixteenth  to  one-half  an 
inch  in  length.  The  plant  attains,  in  full  growth,  a 
height  of  ten  inches  or  more. 

Mr.  Cleveland  finds  it,  from  October  to  May, 
washed  upon  the  shore  from  deep  water,  at  San 
Diego.  At  Santa  Barbara,  it  is  found  in  the  same 
situation,  also  growing  on  the  rocks  near  shore.  Dr. 
Anderson  finds  it  on  shelving  rocks  and  in  tide  pools, 
all  the  year,  at  Santa  Cruz.  It  is  extremely  common 
everywhere. 

Prionitis  Andersonii,  Eaton. 

This  is  a  much  larger  plant  than  the  last.  It  is 
common  at  Santa  Cruz,  but  somewhat  rare  on  other 
parts  of  the  coast.  It  was  named  by  Prof.  Eaton, 
for  that  most  industrious  and  zealous  Algologist,  Dr. 
Anderson,    of    Santa    Cruz.     The   plants   are    a  foot  or 


230  SEA  MOSSES. 

more  high,  and  usually  consist  of  a  main  frond, 
which  is  flat,  thick,  and  of  a  dark  red  color,  taper- 
ing to  a  point  above  and  below,  with  a  marked 
tendency  to  bend  toward  one  edge  like  a  sabre. 
This  may  be  the  whole  of  the  plant,  and  then  the 
frond  will  measure  a  foot  in  length,  and  an  inch  in 
width,  at  the  widest  part. 

Commonly,  however,  this  is  but  the  central  part 
of  a  large  and  widely-spreading  plant,  the  secondary 
fronds,  branching  from  the  sides  of  the  main  frond. 
Sometimes,  this  may  be  comparatively  small,  no  more 
than  two  inches  long,  and  three- tenths  of  an  inch 
wide,  and  throw  out  on  each  edge  a  considerable 
number  of  long,  flat,  tapering,  sabre- shaped  frondlets, 
perhaps,  a  foot  or  more  long.  Again,  the  main 
stem  may  be  three  times  as  large  every  way,  and 
the  branches  no  more  than  four  or  five  inches.  So 
they  vary  in  relative  size  and  proportion.  The 
plants  of  this  species  are  usually  of  a  deep  red,  wine 
color.    They  do  not  adhere  to  paper. 


Ger\u^.—  SARCOFBYLLIS,  Ag, 


Sarcophyllis  Californica. 

This   and  another   species,   6".    edulis,  Agardh  takes 


RED   ALG^.  231 

from  the  old  genus,  Schizymenia,  to  make  this  new 
genus  of. 

It  has  no  stalk,  but  expands  upwards  into  the 
wedge-shaped  base  of  the  broad,  thickish  membrane. 
The  one  before  me,  kindly  lent  by  Prof.  Eaton,  is 
not  more  than  five  inches  long,  but  is  quite  two 
inches  wide  at  its  widest  part,  tapering  to  a  rounded 
point  at  the  top.  The  membrane  is  simple,  but 
more  or  less  torn.  The  color  is  a  dark  purple, 
darker  in  drying. 

It  is  not  very  common  at  Santa  Cruz,  growing  on 
rocks  and  weeds,  on  rocky  beaches.  It  is  not  else- 
where reported  in  Cahfornia,  and  it  does  not  occur 
at  all  on  our  eastern  coast,  though  its  generic  con- 
gener, S.  edulis,  is  common  enough  on  the  west  coast 
of  Europe. 


Qierwis.— GRATELOUPIA*   Ag. 


Grateloupia   cutleri^,   Kutz. 

This  is  a  large,  coarse,  flat,  extremely  variable 
plant,  quite  common  on  the  California  coast,  except 
in    the    extreme    south,  where    Mr.    Cleveland    sets    it 

*  Grateloupia.     Named   for   Dr.   Grateloup,   a   French  Algologist. 


232  SBA  MOSSES, 

down  as  a  rarity.  It  often  attains  the  height  of  two 
or  three  feet.  Sometimes  the  frond  will  be  perfectly 
simple,  an  inch  wide,  and  two  feet  long,  tapering 
to  a  narrow  base  and  apex ;  sometimes  a  foot  high 
and  three  or  four  inches  wide ;  smooth  and  blunt 
at  top ;  colored  so  as  to  closely  resemble  a  frond 
of  IridcBa  laminar ioides^  from  which  then,  it  is 
possible  to  distinguish  it  only  by  a  microscopical  dis- 
section, of  the  structure  of  the  plant.  Again,  it  will 
be  deeply  cleft  into  many  lobes  from  near  the  bot- 
tom to  the  top ;  and,  at  other  times,  it  will  put 
out  a  series  of  leaflets  from  both  edges ;  or  it  will 
combine  both  these  departures  from  simplicity  in  one 
plant ;  or  it  will  throw  out  from  the  truncated  top 
of  a  long,  wide,  simple  frond,  a  number  of  long, 
narrow  frondlets,  much  attenuated  at  each  end. 

The  color  is  a  reddish  brown,  changing  by  fad- 
ing to  various  shades  of  brown  and  purple,  and  even 
to  a  dull  green,  or  dirty  white.  Sometimes  all  these 
colors  will  be  found  in  the  same  frond.  It  grows 
in  deep  water,  plentiful  in  the  north.  Dr.  Dimmick 
finds  it  very  common  near  the  light-house,  at  Santa 
Barbara.     It  may  be  looked  for  at  all  seasons. 


RED    ALGM.  233 

Ox6ex.—  DUMONTIEJ^, 
QxQxwxs,.—  HALOSACCION*  Kutz, 

HaLOSACCION    RAMENTACEUM,t     Ag. 

This  is  truly  an  Arctic  plant,  growing  only  in 
northern  waters,  but  there  sufficiently  plentiful.  So 
far  as  I  know,  it  has  not  been  found  south  of 
Gloucester.  Mrs.  Davis  finds  it  in  deep  tide  pools, 
from  April  to  August,  at  Brace's  Cove,  Gloucester ; 
and  Mrs.  Bray  on  rocks,  in  tide  pools,  plentiful  at 
Bass  Rocks,  Gloucester.  Harvey  figures  it  as  a  plant 
twelve  to  fourteen  inches  high,  when  full  grown ;  with 
a  pronounced  leading  stem  as  thick  as  a  crow's  quill 
at  the  middle,  much  attenuated  at  the  base,  and 
somewhat  so  at  the  top ;  clothed  on  all  sides  above 
the  middle  with  an  abundance  of  branches,  half  as 
large  as  the  main  stem,  from  one  to  three  inches 
long,  mostly  simple,  but  sometimes  branched,  and 
always  attenuated  at  base  and  apex.  Both  stem  and 
branches  are  hollow. 

My  American  plants  are  of  a  decided  red  color ; 
bu;  1  have  Spitzbergen  plants,  from  Prof.  Kjell- 
man,    of   Sweden,    which   are    of    a   dull   purple    color, 

*  Halosaccion  =  Sea-bag. 
t  Ramentaceum  =  Branched. 


234  SEA  MOSSES. 

and  differ  from  Dr.  Harvey's  figure  in  the  much 
greater  length  of  their  branches.  Prof.  Eaton  de- 
scribes a  variety  which  he  calls  gladiatum,  found  in 
abundance  at  Eastport,  Maine,  wliich  differs  much 
from  the  normal  form.  It  is  flattened,  wide,  near 
one  inch  in  the  middle,  but  sword-shaped  and  atten- 
uated at  both  ends ;  sometimes  simple,  and  some- 
times branched  on  the  edges.  Some  specimens  in 
my  herbarium  show  tendencies  toward  that  form.  It 
is  a  variable  but  not  uninteresting  plant,  and  collectors 
along  the  coast  of  Maine,  and  the  Provinces,  will  not 
fail  to  find  it  in  plenty,  on  the  rocks,  near  low-tide. 


Order.—  SPYRIDIEM, 
Genus.— SPYRWIA*    Barv, 


Spyridia   filamentosa,   Harv. 

This  plant  is  an  inhabitant  of  the  warmer  seas. 
It  is  found  common  only  on  our  southern  shores. 
I  know  of  no  well  authenticated  case  of  its  having 
been  found  north  of  Cape  Cod.  But  south  of  the 
Cape  it  certainly  is  as  common  as  almost  any  plant. 
I   certainly   found   it   in    abundance   at   Newport,  from 

•  Spyridia  =  A   small  basket,   referring  to  the 


RED    ALG^^.  236 

July  to  October,  and  in  Providence  River,  in  August. 
Miss  Booth  found  it  not  uncommon  at  Peconic  Bay, 
and  other  points  about  the  east  end  of  Long  Island. 
It  is  also  reported  by  Harvey,  at  various  places  in 
our  southern  waters,  as  far  as  Key  West. 

The  frond  is  fiHform,  not  usually  thicker  than  a 
bristle,  from  three  to  six  inches  or  more  high,  gen- 
erally much  and  irregularly  branched,  the  branches 
spreading  widely,  and  being  themselves  divided  and 
sub-divided  into  a  wealth  of  lesser  ramifications. 
The  branchlets,  when  young,  are  visibly  articulate; 
and  all  of  the  smaller  branches,  and  often  all  the 
branches,  are  clothed  throughout  with  a  light  growth 
of  very  delicate,  hair-like  filaments,  not  much  over 
one-tenth  of  an  inch  long.  These  are  plainly  visible 
to  the  naked  eye,  and  give  the  name,  and  charac- 
teristic mark,  of  the  species.  The  color  is  a  purplish 
red,  but  the  hue  may  change  by  fading  through  all 
shades  to  a  pale  green  or  yellow.  It  grows  below 
tide  marks,  a  fathom  or  two,  and  so  must  be  looked 
for,  among  the  floating  burden  of  the  sea.  It  ad- 
heres fairly  to  paper,  and  with  its  fine  and  grace- 
fully disposed  branches,  and  its  soft  haze  of  fairy 
filaments,  bordering  all,  it  makes  a  very  pretty  spec- 
imen. 


SEA  MOSSES. 

Order.—  CERAMIEM. 

Gex\yxs.— MICRO CLADIA*    Grev, 


MlCR^CLADIA     COULTERI,     HaRV. 

Probably  very  few  people  collect  "Sea  Mosses 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  who  do  not  get  plenty  of  this, 
species  with  every  gathering.  No  package  of  dried 
Algae,  or  fasciculus  of  mounted  specimens,  comes 
from  that  coast,  to  the  botanists  or  lovers  of  Algae 
in  the  east,  which  docs  not  contain  some  of  these 
interesting  and  beautiful  plants. 

It  has  a  cylindrical  or  slightly  flattened  stem,  twice 
as  thick  as  a  bristle  which  runs  fully  through  the 
plant,  and  sends  out  branches  from  its  two  edges, 
in  one  or  the  other,  or  both  of  the  following  ways, 
viz. :  The  regularly  alternate  branches  are  set  on  the 
two  sides,  at  an  almost  perfectly  uniform  distance, 
and  rise  at  the  same  angle  from  the  main  stem,  so 
that  they  "  lay  out "  quite  parallel.  Near  the  base, 
the  branches  are  short,  but  gradually  become  longer 
towards  the  middle  of  the  frond,  then  shorten  again, 
towards  the  apex,  so  as  to  give  the  whole  plant  a 
quite  perfect  "lanceolate"  outline.  Or,  again,  the 
plant  will  throw   out   several   long  branches   from  each 

*  Microcladia  =  Minute  tirandie*. 


RED   ALG^^,  237 

side,  near  the  base,  and  each  of  these,  together  with 
the  main  stem  in  its  upper  part,  will  develop  the 
typical  outline  just  now  described. 

It  remains  to  be  said  that  the  primary  branches 
themselves,  branch  in  the  same  manner,  by  short, 
alternate,  secondary  branches,  and  these,  again,  divide 
up  in  the  same,  regular  way,  the  ultimate  ramuli  at 
the  end  being  invariably  incuived,  and  growing  shorter 
and  shorter  to  the  end  of  the  branch.  This  regular 
habit  of  branching,  the  graceful  outline  of  the  plant, 
and  the  many  shades  of  red  and  dehcate  pink  which 
it  assumes,  make  it  a  great  favorite  with  collectors. 

It  does  not  adhere  very  well  to  paper,  and  on 
that  account  is  all  the  more  easily  detached,  and 
woven  into  those  beautiful  "  Sea  Moss  "  pictures,  which 
some  of  the  fair  admirers  of  these  plants  are  fond 
of  making.  With  them,  this  plant  becomes  a  great 
favorite.  Its  fine  and  delicate  ramifications,  and  its 
great  faithfulness  in  retaining  its  normal  shape,  when 
once  pressed  and  dried,  make  it  very  serviceable  for 
such  uses. 

It  attains  a  height  of  six  or  eight  inches.  It 
may  be  found  at  all  seasons  in  great  abundance,  on 
the  rocky  beaches,  between  tides  and  below,  upon 
rocks  and  other  Algae,  especially  upon  Gigartina 
radula. 


238  SEA  MOSSES. 

MiCROCLADIA     CaLIFORNICA,     FaRLOW. 

In  general  form  and  substance,  this  very  much 
resembles  the  last  species,  but  differs  a  little  in  the 
disposition  of  the  ultimate  ramuli.  But  a  perfectly 
unmistakable  mark  may  be  found  in  the  position  of 
the  fruit.  And  it  would  not  be  exactly  safe  to  call 
any  specimen  M.  Califo?'nica,  which  does  not  demon- 
strate  its  identity  by  having  fruit. 

In  M.  Coulteri,  the  fruit  is  borne  on  the  inside 
of  the  ultimate  ramulus,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  little 
whorl,  of  incurved,  short,  spine-like  processes,  which 
partly  inclose  it.  In  M.  Californica,  the  fruit  is 
borne  on  the  outside  of  the  ramulus,  and  is  bare, 
and  destitute  of  this  inclosing  whorl.  The  species  is 
not  as  common  as  the  last,  but  is  found  growing  in 
the  same  situations  along  with  that. 

MiCROCLADIA    BOREALIS,     RUPR. 

Our  artist  has  given  such  a  good  picture  of  this 
beautiful  plant,  in  Fig.  2,  Plate  VII,  that  it  cannot 
be  necessary  to  enter  into  a  detailed  verbal  descrip- 
tion of  it.  There  is  nothing  in  the  waters  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  that  can  possibly  be  mistaken  for  it. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  very  graceful  outline 
of  the  plant,  is  obtained  by  carrying  out,  in  detail, 
a  perfecdy  uniform  and  very  simple  method  of  branch- 


Piii.oT.x   i'Li'.\r()s\.   Ae'.     var.   srrha'ia, 


'LATE    V- 


RED    ALGyE.  23'" 

ing,  viz. :  putting  every  secondary  branch  upon  the 
inside  of  its  primary,  and  bending  the  primary  out- 
ward and  backward.  This  plant  could  hardly  fail  to 
give  a  fruitful  hint,  for  a  decorative  design,  \o  any 
artistic  mind. 

It  is  found  only  in  the  northern  waters  of  the 
Pacific,  as  its  name  implies.  But  it  is  common  at 
Santa  Cruz,  in  tide  pools,  at  all  seasons.  It  is  of  a 
very  dark  brown  color,  often  almost  black.  It  does 
not  very  perfectly  adhere  to  paper,  and  so  like  its 
"next  of  kin,"  M.  Coulteri,  it  becomes  a  very  useful 
plant  in  working  out  beautiful  "  Sea  Moss  "  designs. 


Qenus.— CERAMIUM*   Ag. 

This  genus  furnishes  several  of  our  most  common 
and  most  beautiful  ''Sea  Mosses."  There  are  plenty 
of  good  reasons  for  all  being  favorites  with  collectors. 
The  distinguishing  characteristics  of  the  genus  are 
either  or  both  of  the  following,  viz. :  i.  The  ten- 
dency of  the  tops  of  the  branches  to  bend  in 
towards  each  other,  the  last  fork  being  quite  in- 
curved and  hooked,  like  two  minute  fish-hooks,  turned 
point  to  point.  2.  The  variegation  of  the  stems  and 
branches,    as    seen    with    a    good    pair    of  eyes,    or 

•  CersMniom  =  A  pitcher,  referring  to  finnt. 


240  SEA  MOSSES. 

under  a  pocket  lens,  by  alternate  bands  of  lighter 
and  darker  color,  sometimes  white  and  black,  some- 
times white  and  red,  and  sometimes  two  shades  of 
red.  This  characteristic  never  fails,  except  sometimes 
in  the  older  parts  of  very  robust  specimens  of  C. 
rubrum. 

Ceramium  rubrum,*   Ag. 

This  plant  is  common,  not  only  throughout  our 
entire  eastern  and  western  coasts,  but  in  almost  every 
sea  upon  the  globe.  I  doubt  if  there  is  another  so 
thorough-going  cosmopolite,  in  the  whole  marine  flora 
of  the  world. 

It  grows  upon  everything,  rocks,  and  stones,  and 
shells,  and  almost  all  sorts  of  sea  plants.  This  abil- 
ity to  be  on  a  good  footing  with  every  kind  of  com- 
panionship, and  to  feel  at  home  wherever  it  can  find 
a  place  to  stand,  and  sprout,  and  grow,  will  account, 
perhaps,  for  its  universal  presence  and  its  wide  distri- 
bution. 

It  grows  in  pools,  between  tides,  and  in  deep 
water.  It  is  extremely  variable  in  appearance,  and 
will  sometimes  almost  "deceive  the  very  elect,"  into 
believing  they  have  found  some  other  species.  It 
grows   from   two   to    ten    inches    high,   thicker  than   a 

*  Rubrum  =  Re4. 


RED    ALG.^.  241 

bristle  in  the  larger  parts,  often,  indeed,  as  stout  as 
wrapping- twine,  and  always  has  a  coarse  appearance. 

It  branches  mostly  by  forking,  the  lower  divisions 
.distant,  the  upper  ones  nearer  and  nearer  together, 
sometimes  narrow,  and  sometimes  widely  spreading. 
The  segments  attenuate  as  they  divide.  The  apices 
are  either  slightly  incurved  or  quite  hooked.  The 
variegated  bands  are  less  plainly  marked  in  this,  than 
in  either  of  the  other  species  to  be  described,  and 
rarely  appear  as  other  than  light,  or  dark  shades,  of 
the  prevaihng  red. 

The  microscopist  will  find  the  plant  covered 
throughout  with  a  coating  or  ''bark"  of  small  cells. 
In  the  other  species  to  be  described,  this  coating  is 
not  continuous,  but  extends  only  as  rings,  of  a  red 
or  dark  color,  about  the  nodes  or  joints  of  the 
frond.  This  is  a  sure  guide  to  it  in  all  the  many 
forms  which  the  species  will  assume. 

To  the  collector,  who  depends  upon  his  eyes  and 
his  pocket  lens,  the  deep,  full  red  color,  which,  in- 
deed, may  be  faded  out  by  exposure,  the  general 
appearance  of  coarseness,  combined  with  the  incurved 
or  hooked  apices,  will  be  a  sufficiently  safe  ground 
for  saying  that  his  plant,  as  he  pulls  it  from  the 
water,  is  C,  rcbrum. 


a^  SEA  MOSSES. 

Ceramium  Deslongchampsii,  Ch. 

This  species  Harvey  describes  as  C.  Hooperi,  in 
honor  of  his  friend,  Mr.  J.  Hooper,  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  an  enthusiastic  and  intelligent  Algologist, 
who  with  Professor  Bailey  and  others,  as  I  have 
already  mentioned  in  the  "  Introdction,"  did  much 
in  that  time,  to  help  forward  Harvey's  study  of  our 
plants.  They  all  find  ample  acknowledgement  in 
the  pages  of  the  "  Nereis." 

But  it  is  conceded  now  that  this  is  no  new 
species,  but  an  old  and  not  uncommon  one,  on 
the  shores  of  Europe.  It  is  common  along  our 
northern  coast,  north  of  Nahant.  I  found  it  in 
plenty  at  Marblehead,  and  Mr.  Collins  at  Kahant 
on  the  sides  of  perpendicular  rocks,  overhung  with 
Fuci.  Mrs.  Davis  collects  it  on  rocks  in  tide  pools 
at  Gloucester.  Professor  Verrill  found  it  on  the 
piles  of  the  wharf  at  Eastport,  and  Mr.  Prudden  at 
Grand  Man  an.  It  grows  from  two  to  four  or  five 
inches  high,  from  a  mass  of  creeping  filaments. 
The  fronds  are  not  much  coarser  than  human  hair, 
and  divide  throughout  by  true  but  not  very  wide, 
forkings.  The  apices  are  attenuated,  sharply  pointed, 
and  but  slightly  incurved  or  bent,  mostly  straight 
or  awl-shaped. 

Under    a   lens   the    markings    or   variegated    bands 


RED    ALGjE.  243 

are  clearly  seen.  The  dark  ones  keep  the  uniform 
proportion  of  being  almost  exactly  as  long  as  broad, 
or  quite  square  in  every  part  of  the  frond.  The 
white  bands  vary  very  much  in  length,  and  are 
longest  in  the  old  parts  of  the  plant,  and  gradually 
shorten  toward  the  apices.  The  color  is  a  dark 
purple,  which  sometimes  is  given  out  in  pressing  and 
drying,  so  as  to  stain  the  paper  red  or  purple.  It 
may  be  looked  for,  all  the  collecting  season  through, 
on  the  sides  of  perpendicular  rocks  near  low-tide 
mark. 

Ceramium  strictum,*  Harv. 

This  is  probably  the  species  which  Harvey  describes 
in  the  "  Nereis,"  under  the  name  of  C.  diaphanum. 
Nothing  is  more  common  than  it  and  the  next  species, 
except  it  be  C.  rubrum,  all  along  our  southern  shores. 
The  plant  grows  in  lufis,  from  two  to  four  inches 
high,  as  fine  as  hair,  and  divides  or  branches,  by 
narrowish  forks,  more  and  more  close,  towards  the 
extremity  of  the  frond. 

The  variegated  appearance  of  the  frond  is  plainly 
visible  to  the  naked  eye.  The  dark  red  or  purplish 
bands,  are  relatively  very  short,  especially  toward 
the  base  of  the  plant,  where  the  white    interstices  are 

*  Strictum  =  Drawn  toget'ier,  close,  tight. 


jMi  SEA  MOSSES. 

three  or  four  times  longer  than  broad.  Toward  the 
apices  these  shorten,  till  they  are  not  much  longer 
than  the  colored  bands.  The  apices  are  sometimes 
only  incurved,  but  more  frequently  hooked. 

It  may  always  be  distinguished  from  the  next, 
with  which  only  is  it  likely  to  be  confounded,  by 
its  somewhat  greater  length ;  its  narrower  forking ; 
its  decided  tinge  of  purple  in  the  prevailing 
red,  of  the  dry  plant;  and  the  fact  that  the 
fronds  of  a  tuft  appear  to  be  of  a  considerably 
different  length,  so  that  the  outline  of  the  mounted  tuft 
will  be  decidedly  uneven  and  jagged.  I  collected  it 
in  abundance  at  Newport  and  Wood's  Holl,  in  the 
summer  and  fall.  I  have  never  found  it  in  Massachu- 
setts Bay.  But  Mr.  ColHns  reports  it  as  not  uncommon 
in  the  warm  waters,  on  the  muddy  bottom  of  Mystic 
river  marshes,  about  Boston.  And  Mrs.  Davis  collects 
it  in  the  river,  at  Little  Good  Harbor,  Gloucester. 

Ceramium  fastigiatum,*  Harv. 

This  I  consider  our  most  beautiful  Cramium.  It 
is  very  common  at  all  points,  where  I  have  visited 
the  south  shore  of  New  England  and  New  York, 
especially  at  Newport,  where  I  took  hundreds  of 
splendid    plants.      It     grows    on     Zostera,      Chondrus 

*  Fastigiatum  =  Sharp  pointed. 


lEKAMHTM      FASTIGIATUM,    Ha  r 


^-  Ai.i.i  riiAMNKjN   t  (.];^^II■.()s^^r,    Ao 


^LA- 


RED   ALG^.  245 

crispus,  and  other  Algae,  in  pools,  or  below  tide. 
Its  most  usual  form  is  that  of  a  dense  globose  tuft, 
from  one  to  two  inches  in  diameter,  of  a  brilliant  red 
color. 

It  is  very  easily  seen  and  caught,  as  it  comes  float- 
ing in  upon  the  waves.  Examined  particularly,  it 
will  be  found  fmer  than  human  hair,  of  much  the 
same  thickness  throughout,  branched  by  wide  forkings, 
the  forks  coming  nearer  and  nearer  together,  toward' 
the  end  of  the  frond,  see  Plate  XIX.,  Fig.   2. 

The  beautiful  pink  bands  are,  relatively  to  the 
colorless  interstices,  very  short.  They  are,  in  fact, 
shorter  than  the  diameter  of  the  frond,  so  that  under 
the  lens,  they  appear  to  be  rectangular  patches  of 
color,  longer  crosswise  than  lengthwise  of  the  frond. 
The  white  spaces  between,  shorten  as  we  proceed 
from  the  base  to  the  top  of  the  frond,  thus  bringing; 
the  colored  bands  closer  and  closer  together. 

The  filaments  in  the  tufts  are  of  the  same  general 
length,  as  are  also  their  several  divisions.  This 
makes  the  tuft  level-topped,  and  produces  that  globose 
appearance  which  is  so  characteristic  of  the  species. 
It  also  causes  that  constant  tendency  of  the  plant, 
when  mounted  on  paper,  to  display  its  terminal 
branchlets  in  some  segment  of  a  circle.  This 
difference    in    outline,    the    shorter    and    more    uniform 


246  SJSA  MOSSJSS. 

length  of  the  frond,  and  the  more  brilliant  pink  color, 
with  no  admixture  of  purple,  easily  distinguish  this 
species  from  the  last. 

C.  arachnoideiim^  which  Harvey  figures  and 
describes,  Table  XXXIII.  B.,  of  the  "Nereis,"  Dr. 
Farlow  thinks  may  be  a  variety  of  C.  fastigiaium, 
but  is  in  doubt.  He  declares,  on  the  authority  of 
Agardh,  that  it  is  not  the  same  as  the  species  of  that 
name  in  the  European  flora.  I  took  it  in  unlimited 
quantities,  in  the  little  harbor  at  Wood's  Holl,  the 
last  of  October.  It  is,  indeed,  a  very  beautiful  and 
interesting  plant. 

Genus.— PTILOTA*  Ag. 

The  plants  of  this  genns,  which  contains  two 
eastern  and  three  western  species,  are  characterized 
by  their  cartilaginous,  flattened,  narrow,  pinnately 
branched,  feathery  or  fern-like  fronds.  The  two 
eastern  species  may  be  easily  distinguished  by  the 
relative  fineness  and  the  place  of  growth  of  the  two 
plants ;  the  three  western,  by  certain  marked 
peculiarities  of  appearance  and  ramification. 

Ptilota  plumosa,  Ag. 

The   var.    serrata   of  this  genus  is  a  very  common 

•  Ptilota  =  pinnated,  furnished  with  plumes. 


RED    ALG^.  247 

plant  in  deep  water,  all  along  our  coast,  north  of 
Boston.  It  grows,  attached  to  rocks  and  stones,  in 
the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  to  the  stems  and  roots  of 
Laminaria.  It  will  be  found  in  great  abundance 
on  all  open  beaches  where  the  waves  have  deposited 
it,  brought  up  from  the  depths. 

The  frond  is  three  to  six  inches  in  extent,  one- 
sixteenth  to  one-eighth  of  an  inch  wide,  flattened, 
tough,  cartilaginous,  irregularly,  pinnately  branched 
from  the  edges,  branches  likewise  flattened  and 
branched  from  their  edges,  all  in  one  plane.  Plate 
XVII.,  is  an  exact  copy  of  a  specimen  m  my  herbarium, 
and  very  fairly  represents  the  beauties  of  this  plant, 
as  well  as  the  pinnate  method  of  branching,  common 
to  the  genus. 

The  peculiarity  of  the  species  is  the  dissimilarity 
of  the  opposite  pinnae  on  the  ultimate  branches. 
From  the  branches  there  will  spring  forth  on  one 
side  a  beautiful  little  plume  or  pinna,  while  exactly 
opposite  to  it,  will  be  a  short,  curved,  undivided 
spine-like  process,  somewhat  thickened,  and  often 
toothed  on  the  outer  edge ;  all  the  ultimate  divisions 
stand  out  almost  at  right  angles  to  the  branches. 
The  color  is  red.  A  perennial,  perfect  in  summer; 
adheres,  but  rather  imperfectly  to  paper.  It  need 
not    be    looked    for    south   of   Cape    Cod,   but    it    is 


248  SEA  MOSSES.  "^ 

found   on    the   coast   of  California,   and   in   the   north 
Pacific  very  common. 

Ptilota  elegans,  Bonnem. 

This  is  a  much  more  deHcate  plant  than  the  last, 
narrower,  thinner  and  of  a  darker  color.  It  is  common 
from  New  York  northward.  It  may  be  found  almost 
always  growing  upon  the  perpendicular  sides  of  cliffs, 
under  the  overhanging  "  Rockweed,"  near  low-water 
mark.  That  is  the  only  situation  in  which  I  have 
ever  seen  it  growing.  But  I  have  collected  it  in  no 
little  abundance  about  the  beach,  at  Newport,  in  the 
summer  and  fall,  among  the  mass  of  sea  weed  left 
by  the  waves.     There,  it  must  grow  in  deep  water. 

The  fronds  are  nearly  cylindrical,  but  branch 
like  the  last,  from  opposite  sides  in  one  plane,  decom- 
pound pinnate,  the  pinnae  and  pinnulae  opposite  and 
alike,  though,  I  think,  in  most  cases  one  of  them  is 
apt  to  be  much  smaller  than  the  other.  The  large 
and  small  parts  alternate,  so  that  the  symmetry  oi 
the  frond  is  maintained.  Often  the  smaller  pinnule 
is  suppressed  altogether,  and  the  branching  will  thence 
seem  to  be  alternate. 

The  ultimate  ramuli  are  composed  of  a  single  row 
of  square  or  oblong  cells.  This  is  a  fine,  delicate 
and   beautiful   plant.     It    adheres  well   to   paper.     The 


RED   ALGAi,  249 

young  plumules  make  beautiful  microscopical  speci- 
mens, if  mounted  in  some  fluid  which  does  not  shrink 
the  cells.  The  beauty,  as  well  as  the  interest  of 
the  specimen,  will  be  enhanced  if  the  plant  bears 
upon  the  tips  of  its  plumules,  the  tetrasporic  fruit. 
The  color  is  a  darkish  purple,  more  or  less  red  in 
the  younger  parts. 

PriLOTA    DENSA,    AG. 

This  and  the  two  following  species  belong  to 
California.  The  frond  is  compressed,  one-eighth  of 
an  inch  wide,  thick,  cartilaginous,  from  three  to 
twelve  inches  high.  The  leading  stem  bears  along 
its  edges  stout  branches,  which  are  either  simple  or 
branched,  on  the  same  plan  as  the  main  stem.  The 
axils  of  the  primary  branches  make  an  angle  of  about 
45°.  The  ultimate  pinnae,  which  clothe  the  edges 
of  the  whole  plant,  are  closely  set,  making  a  dense 
border  to  the  frond,  of  very  uniform  length,  one- 
tenth  of  an  inch  or  so,  opposite,  and  very  icnlike. 
The  one  is  stout,  undivided,  incurved,  sharply  toothed 
on  the  outside ;  the  other  opposite,  slender,  much 
shorter,  pinnately  and  widely  divided.  The  latter  is 
seen  to  lie  almost  hidden  out  of  sight,  under  the  over- 
arching pinnule  which  grows  next  below  it.  For, 
it    will  be  observed  that,  the  two   forms   alternate    with 


250  SRA  AfOSSBS. 

each  other  quite  regularly,  on  both  sides  of  the 
plant. 

This  species  is  a  much  more  robust  plant  than 
either  of  the  other  California  PtilotcE,  thicker  and 
denser,  every  way  in  appearance.  That  fact  will  com- 
monly serve  to  distinguish  it  from  them.  But  there 
are  other  points  which  help  the  discrimination,  viz.  : 
the  ultimate  si7nple  pinnule  of  this  species  is  sabre- 
shaped,  arched  or  incurved,  and  toothed  on  the  outer 
edge  only ;  while  theirs  is  relatively  smaller,  straighter 
slenderer,  more  club-shaped,  and  in  Pt.  hypnoides, 
not  toothed,  while  in  Ft.  asphnoides  it  is  commonly 
toothed  on  both  sides. 

It  grows  in  deep  water.  Mr.  Cleveland  gets  it 
from  January  to  April,  not  very  common  at  San 
Diego.  Dr.  Anderson  reports  it  not  very  common, 
on  the  beach,  at  Santa  Cruz,  all  the  year  round.  Mrs. 
Bingham  says  it  is  rare  at  Santa  Barbara;  she  finds 
it,  in  February,  washed  ashore  from  deep  water. 

Ptilota  hypnoides,  Harv. 

I  have  plants  of  this  species  quite  two  feet  long. 
It  greatly  resembles  Pt.  densa  in  its  general  habit 
of  growth.  It  has  a  prominent  leading  stem,  flattened, 
branching  irregularly  along  either  edge,  with  long, 
widely  spreading  branches.     These   also   are   beset  by 


RED    ALG^E.  251 

shorter  secondary  branches  in  the  same  manner,  so 
that  the  whole  plant  lies  in  one  plane.  The  secondary 
branches  bear  the  pinnae.  These  are  opposite  and 
unlike. 

They  consist  of  a  prominent,  somewhat  bent, 
thick,  club-shaped,  obtuse,  untoothed  ramulus,  one- 
tenth  of  an  inch  long,  set  opposite  a  smaller  pinnately 
divided  pinnule.  The  smaller  divisions  of  this  pinnule 
seem  to  be  in  form  like  the  large,  undivided  ramulus, 
which  is  placed  opposite  to  it  on  the  plant.  The 
divided  pinnules  seem  to  be  quite  insignificant, 
and  are  often  almost  suppressed  between  the  stout, 
self  asserting  ramuli  by  their  side. 

It  does  not  adhere  to  paper  very  well.  In  color 
it  is  a  reddish  purple,  fading  to  green  or  a  dirty 
white,  older  parts  often  almost  black.  Mr.  Cleveland 
says  it  is  a  rare  plant  at  San  Diego,  cast  up  from 
deep  water,  from  November  to  April.  Mrs.  Bingham 
reports  it  not  very  common  at  Santa  Barbara,  in 
May,  and  June.  But  Dr.  Anderson  fmds  it  common 
at   Santa   Cruz.     It   evidently  loves  a  northern  climate. 

PriLOTA    ASPLENOIDES,    Ag. 

This  is  a  still  more  distinctly  northern  plant  than 
the  last.  It  is  reported  in  California,  only  at  Santa 
Cruz,    and  there   as   scarce.     It   is  a  verv  much  slen- 


252  SEA    MOSSES. 

derer  plant  than  the  last,  though  growing  to  the 
height  of  eighteen  inches.  The  frond  is  compressed 
or  flat ;  one-tenth  of  an  inch  wide,  of  uniform  breadth, 
with  a  leading  stem,  and  branches  and  pinnae  on 
both  edges ;  the  axils  of  primary  and  secondary 
branches  narrow,  while  the  pinnae  are  set  almost  a» 
right  angles  to  the  axis  of  the  branch.  They  are 
opposite  and  unlike. 

The  larger  pinna  or  ramulus  is  undivided,  one- 
eighth  of  an  inch  long,  or  less,  deeply  and  sharply 
toothed  on  both  edges,  widened  in  the  middle,  and 
pointed  at  both  ends.  The  opposite  pinna  is  either 
reduced  to  a  minute  spine  or  pinnately  divided,  but 
always  much  less  prominent  than  the  ramulus,  which 
sets  opposite  to  it.  The  color  is  a  light  or  reddish 
brown.     It  does  not  adhere  to  paper. 


Genus  —  GLOIOSIPHONIA*    Carm, 


Gloiosiphonia  capillaris,   Carm. 

This  is  often  spoken  of  as  a  rare  plant,  but  1 
have  found  it  so  common  in  the  rock  pools  about 
Marblehead,   that   I    can    hardly  think   of   it   as   rare 

♦  Gloiosiphonia  s:  A  viscid  tube. 


RED    ALG^^.  253 

or  even  scarce.  It  is  said  to  be  found  in  Long 
Island  Sound,  but  where,  or  in  what  part  of  it,  or 
the  adjacent  waters,  I  am  not  able  to  say.  It 
more  properly  belongs  to  our  northern  waters,  and 
from  various  points  there,  it  is  reported.  Mr.  Collins 
finds  it  at  Revere,  in  tide  pools,  in  June.  Mrs.  Bray 
finds  it  in  deep  water  at  Magnolia;  and  Mrs.  Davis 
collects  it  from  May  to  July,  at  the  same  place,  on 
rocks  partly  covered  by  sand. 

It  grows  six  or  eight  inches  high;  the  main  stem 
cylindrical,  as  large  as  wrapping- twine ;  sometimes 
solitary,  but  commonly  in  tufts.  It  is  much  con- 
stricted at  the  base,  and  attenuated  at  the  top,  as 
are  also  all  the  branches  and  the  ramuli.  It  has  a 
leading  stem,  which,  at  the  height  of  an  inch  or 
more  from  the  base,  begins  to  be  clothed  with  short, 
widely-spreading,  almost  horizontal  branches.  In  a 
plant  six  inches  high,  some  of  them  exceed  an 
inch  in  length.  They  are  inserted  all  around,  and 
somewhat  evenly  distributed  along  the  main  stem. 
They  branch  in  the  same  way,  and  the  secondary 
branches  are  also  beset  with  ramuli,  arranged  on  the 
same  plan.  All  the  parts  are  much  constricted  at 
the  base,  and  attenuated  at  the  top. 

The  substance  of  the  frond  is  soft,  or  tender- 
and    juicy,  and     a    little    elastic,     shrinking    much   in 


254  SEA   MOSSES. 

drying.  It  adheres  firmly  to  paper,  and  should  not 
be  subject  to  much  pressure,  at  first,  in  drying.  The 
color  of  the  younger  plants  is  a  brilHant  carmine ; 
older  ones,  darker.  It  should  be  looked  for  early  in 
the  season,  though  I  have  collected  it  to  the  end 
of  August, 


Geuus.—  GRIFFITBSIA*   Ag. 


Griffithsia   Bornetiana,   Farlow. 

This  is  the  only  representative  yet  found  on  oui 
eastern  shores  of  this  large  and  brilliant  genus.  It 
is  called  G.  coraliina,  var.  globifera,  in  Harvey's 
"  Nereis.^'  But  a  more  careful  and  extensive  study 
of  it,  by  Dr.  Farlow,  has  convinced  him  that  it  is 
quite  a  distinct  species,  and  he  has  named  it  for  a 
celebrated  French  Algologist,  Prof.  Ed.  Bornet. 

This  plant  has  a  delicate,  slender,  filiform  frond, 
consisting  of  a  single  series  of  naked,  pink  cells, 
placed  end  to  end.  It  branches  by  regular  forkings, 
and  the  branches  are  composed  the  same  as  the  stem 
of  a  series  of  single  cells.  The  forking  is  accom- 
plished by  two  cells,  starting  from  the  top  of  one. 
The   branches   repeatedly   fork   in   the    same  way,    nar- 

*Ciiffithsia.    Named  for  Mrs.   Griffith,  a  celebrated  English  Algologist. 


RED    ALG^S.  255 

rowly,  till  it  comes  about  that  there  is  quite  a  bushy, 
fan-shaped,  level-topped  plant,  all  derived  from  the 
simple  beginning  of  a  slender,  single-celled   thread. 

It  grows  on  Zostera,  and  other  plants  below  tide 
marks.  It  has  a  beautiful  rosy  color,  is  very  soft 
and  fragile,  and  adheres  firmly  to  paper.  In  mount- 
ing, it  should  not  at  first  be  put  under  much  pres- 
sure;  nor  should  it  be  "floated"  in  fresh  water, 
else  it  will  discharge  its  pink  color.  Miss  Booth 
finds  it  in  abundance  at  Orient,  in  July  and  August. 
It  will  be  found  on  most  shores  south  of  Cape  Cod. 
If  it  occurs  at  all  in  the  waters  of  Massachusetts 
Bay,  it  must  be  as  a  great  rarity,  for  neither  my 
correspondents  nor  myself  have  ever  found  it  there. 


Giex\yxs.—  CALLITB AMNION*   Lyngo. 

This  is  a  large  genus,  of  very  beautiful  plants, 
numbering  over  twenty  species  in  our  flora.  In 
structure,  they  are  the  simplest  of  the  red  Algae,  and 
have  what  is  deemed  to  be  the  most  primitive  method 
of  reproduction.  The  frond  consists  of  a  series  of 
single  cells,  put  end  to  end,  stem  and  branches 
being  alike  in   this  regard.     In  some  species,  however, 

*  Callithamnion  =  A    beautiful  shrub. 


256  SEA  MOSSES. 

the   main   stem  is   more    or    less    coated    towards   the 
base,  by  a  covering  of  small  cells. 

It  comes  within  the  purpose  of  this  book  to 
direct  attention  only  to  those  few  species,  which  are 
specially  notable  for  their  beauty,  their  plentifulness, 
or  their  wide  distribution.  Standing  at  the  head  of 
the  list,  of  our  Atlantic  Callithaninia^  in  respect  to 
beauty,  if  not  at  the  head  of  the  genus  itself  in 
that  regard,  is 

Callithamnion  Americanum,    Harv. 

This  plant  grows  not  uncommon  along  the  whole 
coast,  from  Halifax  to  New  York.  In  the  warmer 
waters,  south  of  Cape  Cod,  it  seems  to  be  of  a 
finer  and  more  delicate  habit,  as  well,  also,  as  of  a 
more  brilliant  rose-red  color,  than  in  the  north.  It 
is  among  the  earliest  plants  to  be  found.  I  have 
most  exquisite  specimens,  collected  by  my  friend,  A. 
R.  Young,  about  New  York,  as  early  as  March  12th. 
And  he  assures  me  that  he  has  found  it  in  fine  de- 
velopment among  the  ice,  on  Washington's  Birthday. 

In  Plate  XX.,  the  artist  has  reproduced,  with 
great  faithfulness  and  spirit,  one  of  the  plants  ot 
this  species,  with  which  Mr.  Young  has  enriched  my 
collection.  It  will  convey  some  hint,  I  hope,  of  the 
beauty   of   thi§    wonderful    plant.      But    I    believe    a 


RED    ALGyE.  257 

somewhat  detailed  description  will  not  be  quite  su- 
perfluous. 

The  frond  is  of  cobweb  fineness ;  about  three  or 
four  inches  high,  densely  tufted,  much  and  finely 
branched ;  the  primary  branches  long ;  the  secondary 
alternate  and  decompound,  all  rather  widely  spread- 
ing ;  somewhat  far  asunder  at  the  base ;  more  closely 
crowded  toward  the  top.  A  marked  characteristic 
of  this  and  the  next  species  is  the  presence,  along 
all  the  branches,  primary  and  secondary,  springing 
from  the  top  of  each  joint,  of  a  pair  of  much- 
divided  ramuli,  one-tenth  of  an  inch  long  or  more, 
standing  out  widely  from  the  branches. 

They  are  easily  seen  with  the  naked  eye,  and 
under  a  glass  appear  to  be  divided  into  long  and 
extremely  fine  branches.  The  joints  of  these  fine 
divisions  of  the  ramuli  are  eight  or  ten  times  longer 
than  broad.  This  will  serve  lo  distinguish  them  from 
the  ramuli  of  the  next  species,  the  joints  of  which 
are  short  and  stout.  It  grows  in  deep  water  ^ on 
jhells,  stones  and  rocks.  Mr.  Collins  has  collected  it 
as  late  as  June,  at  Revere,  and  Mrs.  Davis  reports 
it  very  plentiful,  in  the  spring,  at  Gloucester. 

Callithamnion   Pylais^i,   Mont. 

In   many   respects,    this    is    closely  related    to   the 
»7 


258  SEA  MOSSES. 

last  species.  Indeed,  you  will  find  plants,  which, 
though  easily  distinguished  from  the  extreme  forms 
of  either  species,  are  very  difficult  to  locate,  and 
you  will  often  find  it  no  easy  matter  to  determine 
to  which  species  you  will  refer  them. 

But,  in  a  general  way,  it  may  be  said  that  this 
species  is  coarser  than  the  last.  Its  main  branches 
are  thicker,  and  its  secondary  and  further  ramifica- 
tions shorter.  There  are  also  particular  distinguishing 
marks.  The  ramuli  of  this  species  spring  from  Jiisi 
below  the  top  of  the  joint ;  they  divide  by  opposite 
branching;  they  are  much  stouter  and  shorter  than 
the  ramuH  of  the  other  species,  and  the  cells  of 
these  ramuU  are  much  shorter,  being  not  more  than , 
twice  as  long  as  wide. 

The  color,  also,  of  this  species  is  considerably 
darker  than  in  C.  A?nericanum.  The  plant  grows  to 
the  height  of  three  or  four  inches,  is  four  or  five 
times  alternately  decompounded,  the  branches  remote 
towards  the  base,  crowded  at  the  top.  It  is  a  spring 
plant,  growing  in  deep  water,  the  same  as  C.  Amer- 
icanmn,  and  has  nearly  the  same  geographical  range, 
with  a  tendency  to  favor  the  northern  localities. 

Mr.  Collins  finds  it  at  Revere,  from  March  to 
May,  not  very  common.  Mrs.  Bray  reports  it  very 
common  at   Magnolia,  during   the  same   months.     Mrs, 


RED  ALGyE.  259 

Davis  finds  it  in  Gloucester,  as  late  as  July.  And 
Miss  Booth,  in  August,  at  Peconic  Bay,  and  Prof. 
Eaton,  in  Eastport,  Maine,  in  August  and  September. 

Callithamnion   floccosum,   Ag. 

This  species  is  reported  only  in  our  northern 
waters,  from  Boston  Bay  northward.  It  is  a  very 
slender,  remotely,  much  branclied  plant,  very  flaccid, 
and  from  four  to  six  inches  high.  At  the  base,  the 
branches  are  half  an  inch  apart,  but  more  crowded 
towards  the  top.  This  fact,  together  with  the  flaccid 
nature  of  the  frond,  makes  the  ramuli  gather  in  floc- 
culent  masses  at  the  ends  of  the  secondary  branches. 
This  gives  the  plant  a  very  uneven  appearance. 

The  main  stems  of  the  tuft  are  most  frequently 
twisted  together  into  a  little  rope.  The  tops  of  the 
cells  in  the  branches  and  branchlets  just  below 
where  they  join  the  cell  above,  are  armed  with  a 
single  pah'  of  opposite  ramuli.  These  are  from  one- 
twentieth  to  one-tenth  of  an  inch  long,  simple  or 
unbranched,  spine-like,  slender  and  sharp.  This  fact 
very  readily  distinguishes  this  species  from  either  of 
the  foregoing,  whose  ramuli  are  much  branched. 

Several  marks  distinguish  it  from  the  next  species, 
C.  cruciatum,  viz.  :  its  larger  size ;  its  different  geo- 
^aphical  habitat ;    and    the    fact   of    its   having   but   a 


900  SEA  MOSSES. 

single  pair  of  ramuli,  at  each  joint,  while  C.  cm- 
datum,  frequently  has  two.  The  color  of  this  species 
is  like  that  of  C.  Pylaiscei,  a  bright  red. 

Mrs.  Davis  and  Mrs.  Bray  find  it  in  abundance  at 
Niles  Beach,  Magnolia,  during  April  and  May.  Profs. 
Verrill  and  Eaton  found  it  common,  growing  on 
Ptilota  plumosa,  at  Dog  Island,  Maine,  and  on  mussel 
shells  among  the  wharves  at  Eastport,  during  August 
and  September. 

Callithamnion  cruciatum,   Ag. 

This  species  grows  only  on  the  south  side  of 
Cape  Cod,  and  is  certainly  somewhat  scarce.  It 
grows  in  deep  water,  on  muddy  rocks,  in  globose 
tufts,  an  inch  or  more  high,  of  a  bright  red  color; 
filaments,  like  most  of  the  genus,  very  slender.  The 
frond  divides  or  forks  not  widely,  the  lower  divi- 
sions are  far  apart,  the  upper  close  together.  The 
branches  themselves  fork  one  or  more  times. 

The  ramuli,  which  are  set  in  one  or  two  pairs  upon 
the  upper  end  of  each  of  the  cells  in  the  filaments, 
are  mostly  long  and  branched,  one-twelfth  of  an  inch 
long.  They  stand  out  almost  perpendicular  to  the 
the  axis  of  the  filament. 

The  one  point  which  distinguishes  the  mounted 
plant   so   that   it  can  hardly  fail  of  easy  recognition,  is 


RED    ALGyS.  261 

the  fact  that  at  the  end  of  every  branch  the  ramuH 
crowd  together  and  make  a  little  dense  or  thickened 
mass,  giving  the  branch  an  appearance  not  unlike  that 
of  a  minute  peacock's  feather, —  the  pinnae  standing 
a  little  apart  all  along  the  rachis,  and  then  gathering 
close  about  the  end,  form  the  well-known  "  eye "  of 
the  miniature  feather.  There  is  certainly  something 
like  this  in  a  well-mounted  specimen  of  C.  cruciatum. 
It  is  a  summer  plant.  Miss  Booth  reports  it  not 
common  in  August,  at  Orient.  I  have  never  col- 
lected it. 

Callithamnion  Baileyi,  Harv. 

This  plant,  which  is  certainly  very  common  all 
through  the  waters  of  southern  New  England  and  New 
York,  is  by  no  means  rare  in  Massachusetts  Bay.  It 
)S  a  well  marked  species,  and  cannot  easily  be  con- 
f:)unded  with  any  other  CallitJiamnion  of  our  coast. 
\X  will  usually  be  found  two,  or  at  most,  three  inches 
high,  and  of  a  pyramidal  outline. 

It  has  a  stout  stem,  larger  than  a  bristle,  which 
runs  quite  through  the  plant  to  the  top.  From  all 
sides  of  this  there  spreads  out  widely,  a  series  of  stout 
branches,  longest  at  the  base  of  the  plant,  but  getting 
rapidly  shorter  as  we  approach  the  top.  This  gives 
the  plant  its   pyramidal  form.     If  separate  branches  are 


262  SEA  MOSSES. 

now  examined,  it  will  be  found  that  they  repeat  the 
habit  of  the  whole  plant,  sending  out  branchlets  all 
about,  which  are  longer  towards  the  lower  part  of  the 
branch,  and  shorter  upwards. 

This  gives  every  main  branch  a  sharply  pointed 
outline.  These  points  thrust  themselves  out  beyond 
the  principal  mass  of  the  frond  in  a  very  characteristic 
way.  So  marked '  is  this  feature,  that  it  constitutes 
the  one  easily  recognized  sign,  when  taken  in  con- 
nection with  the  robust  stem  and  main  branches,  by 
which  to  know  the  species.  Though  the  stem  and 
branches  are  so  stout,  for  a  Callithamnion,  the  ultimate 
ramuli  are  very  fine,  short,  and  much  alternately 
divided. 

The  color  is  a  fine  dark  red.  Mr.  Collins  found 
it  at  Revere,  growing  on  Zostera,  in  September.  I 
have  found  it  in  abundance,  all  through  the  season, 
on  the  south  coast  of  New  England,  but  strange 
to  say,  during  several  seasons  of  diligent  collecting, 
have  never  found  it  at  Marblehead.  Miss  Booth 
collects  it  at  Orient,  L.  I.,  washed  ashore  from  deep 
water. 

There  is  no  reason  to  regret  that  Professor  Bailey's 
name  and  memory  have  been  preserved  in  so  charm- 
ing, and  so  well  characterized  a  species,  as  is  this 
"  beautiful  Httle  shrub." 


RED    ALGM.  263 

Callithamnion  Borreri,  Ag. 

This,  and  the  two  following  species,  may  not  be  so 
easily  made  out,  and  distinguished  from  each  other  at 
first,  as  those  already  described.  Yet,  when  they  are 
once  known,  the  distinguishing  points  will  be  easily 
recognized.  The  geographical  range  of  this  species, 
on  our  coast,  is  limited  to  the  waters  on  the  south 
shores  of  New  England  and  New  York. 

It  grows  in  dense,  soft  tufts,  two  or  three  inches 
high.  The  frond  is  of  capillary  fineness,  the  branches 
long  and  widely  spreading,  the  lower  half  of  the 
branches  mostly  bare,  the  upper  half  divided  and 
subdivided,  alternately,  many  times,  the  ultimate  branch- 
lets  being  long  and  slender,  and  not  unfrequently 
turned  back  in  graceful  curves.  The  little  plumes 
which  the  ultimate  branchlets  form,  are  made  by 
arranging  the  ramuli  on  the  two  sides  of  the  branch, 
like  the  pinnae  of  a  fern  along  its  rachis  or  stalk. 

The  color  is  a  fine,  briUiant  red.  I  have  collected 
it  in  summer  and  late  fall,  at  Newport  and  Wood's 
Holl.  Miss  Booth  found  it  not  very  plenty  at  Orient 
in  August,  washed  ashore  from  deep  water. 

Callithamnion  eyssoides,  Arn. 

Beginners  will  more  easily  confound  this  species 
with   the   last,  than  with    any  other,   and   yet   it    differs 


2G4  5^.4  MOSSSS. 

from  it  in  several  well  marked  particulars.  It  is 
much  finer  in  all  its  parts,  and  shows  to  the  naked 
eye  no  main  stem  and  branches,  which  are  much 
thicker  than  the  ultimate  ramifications.  To  be  sure, 
the  general  habit  of  the  plant  and  the  method  of 
branching  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  C.  Barren', 
but  the  ultimate  ramuli  are  no  more  than  half  as  long, 
or  as  thick.  Indeed,  the  whole  plant  is  almost  as 
fine  as  a  spider's  thread. 

The  color  is  a  less  brilliant  red  than  that  of  C. 
Barren,  and  approaches  much  nearer  that  of  C, 
carymbasum,  a  dark  or  brownish  red.  But  it  will 
not  be  confounded  with  the  latter,  for  that  is  a  coarser 
plant  even  than   C.  Barren. 

The  plant  grows  to  the  height  of  two  or  three 
inches,  in  dense  tufts.  As  above  indicated,  it  is  ex- 
cessively fine  and  flaccid,  collapsing  into  a  clot  when 
drawn  from  the  water.  No  leading  stem  or  branches 
will  be  easily  detected  in  the  mounted  plant,  without 
the  aid  of  a  glass.  But  the  various  directions  which 
the  main  branches  take  will  be  easily  seen  by  the 
finely  pinnated  ends,  which  they  put  out  beyond  the 
principal  *mass  of  the  frond,  forming  beautiful  little 
plumules,  or  the  tops  of  pyramids. 

It  grows  during  the  summer  upon  Zoster  a  ^  and 
other    sub-marine     plants     and    rocks,   below    low-tide. 


RED    ALGM.  265 

It  may  be  looked  for  along  the  coast,  from  New 
York-  to  Massachusetts  Bay,  though  I  have  collected 
it  only  at  Wood's  Roll  and  New  York  Bay.  I  have 
specimens  from  Narragansett  Pier.  It  is  not  a  very 
common  plant,  though  Harvey  says  it  may  be  found 
in  several  places  in  New  York  Harbor,  from  Hell 
Gate  to  Fort  Hamilton. 

Callithamnion  versicolor,  Ag. 

This   beautiful  little    Callithamnion,    represented   in 
Fig.    I,  Plate  XVIIL,  has  all   the  delicate  and  cobweb 
fineness     of     filament    which      characterizes     the     last 
species.      But    it    may    be     easily   distinguished    from 
that    and    every   other    species    of    Callithamnion,    by 
the     peculiarity   which    its    name    indicates,    viz.:     its 
striking   and   beautiful    diversity   of  color.      Some    parts 
of  the    frond  will   be    a   brilliant   rosy  red,  while  others 
are    an     equally    brilliant,     full     green.     Sometimes     a 
branch   will   begin    a    red    and    end    a    green,    or    a 
brown,    or  a   yellow.     Again,  some  one  of   the  second- 
ary  branches    on   a   primary   will   be    all   red,    and   an- 
other just   by   the    side   of    it,   will   be     a    green    or   a 
yellow,    and    so    on.      Sometimes    fully    half    a   dozen 
different   colors   or   shades   will    appear     in    the     same 
frond,   and    I    have   them  where    the  whole  plant    is  as 
brilliant  a  green  as  an   Ulva  or  an  Enteromorpha. 


266  SEA    MOSSES 

This  plant  grows  from  one  to  three  inches  high. 
It  has  a  somewhat  robust  leading  stem  with  several 
stout  primary  branches,  differing  in  this  respect  from 
C.  byssoides,  but  the  final  branchlets  and  ramuli  are 
extremely  fine  and  delicate,  and  somewhat  long. 

A  variety  of  this  species,  seirospermum,  differs 
from  the  typical  form  by  being  a  trifle  stouter  and 
coarser,  with  the  ultimate  ramuli  not  so  abundant  or 
so  long  and  silky.  It  has,  however,  much  the  same 
habit  of  growth,  and  with  the  aid  of  a  good  lens, 
may  be  determined  without  difficulty,  when  in  fruit, 
by  the  singular  strings  of  bead-like  spores  which  it 
produces  in  the  place  of  the  common,  asexual  tetra- 
spores.  The  tetraspores  of  this  genus  grow  externally 
up  the  ultimate  ramuli. 

This  species  is  reported  from  New  York  north- 
ward, but  it  cannot  be  common  in  northern  waters, 
for  none  of  my  correspondents  have  found  it  in  that 
region.  But  it  is  not  very  rare  south  of  Cape  Cod. 
I  have  taken  numbers  of  plants,  var.  seirospermum, 
at  Wood's  Holl,  in  July.  Miss  Booth  gathered  the 
same  at  Orient,  in  July.  I  have  a  number  of  ex- 
quisite plants  of  the  normal  form,  sent  to  me  by 
Mrs.  Woodward,  from  Cottage  City,  Martha's  Vine- 
yard. I  understand  them  to  be  winter  plants.  One 
of  them  is  represented  in  Plate  XVIII. 


RED    ALG.E.  267 

CaLLITH  AMNION     CORYMBOSUM,     Ag. 

There  are  very  very  few  more  beautiful  plants  in 
the  sea  than  this.  Carefully  laid  out,  each  separate 
plant  upon  a  paper  by  itself,  it  may  well  claim  to 
rival  almost  any  other  for  gracefulness  of  outline, 
regularity  and  beauty  of  branching,  and  fineness  and 
delicacy  of  filament. 

It  grows  upon  Zostera,  and  upon  the  mud-covered 
rocks,  and  piles  about  the  docks,  and  along  the 
shores,  below  tide,  in  litde  globose  tufts,  one  to  two 
and  one-half  inches  high.  Each  separate  plant  in 
the  tuft  grows  from  a  minute  disk,  with  a  single 
main  stem  not  much  thicker  than  a  hair.  This 
throws  out  widely,  long  branches  from  every  side. 
These  branches  are  bare  at  the  base,  but  soon  branch 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  main  stem,  with  second- 
ary branches,  which  are  also  bare  at  the  base,  and 
rapidly  divide  and  sub-divide  towards  the  top. 

The  ultimate  ramuli  are  very  fine  and  level- 
topped,  so  as  to  make  a  great  number  of  minute 
corymbs  at  the  extremity  of  the  branches,  hence 
the  name  of  the  species.  The  general  aspect  of  the 
plant  is  that  of  a  miniature,  bushy,  very  symmetri- 
cal shrub,  the  pyramidal  outline  of  the  end  of  the 
branches  appearing  beyond  the  general  mass.  Fig.  i, 
Plate  XIX.,  gives  a  very  excellent  representation  of  it. 


268  SEA   MOSSES. 

In  the  water,  it  is  often  a  deep,  rich  red,  but 
when  on  paper  the  red  has  a  marked  brown  shade. 
It  is  common  along  the  whole  coast  from  New  York 
northward,  from  June  to  November.  I  have  collected 
it  in  abundance  on  Zostera,  in  Marblehead  Harbor, 
in  August,  and  on  the  piers  at  Wood's  Holl,  the  very 
last  days  of  October.  Mr.  Collins  has  found  it  in 
November,  at  Nahant. 

Callithamnion  Dasyoides,  Ag. 

This  and  the  following  species  are  all  that  I  shall 
undertake  to  describe  of  the  CalUthannia  of  California. 
This  plant  is  more  robust  than  any  of  the  genus  grow- 
ing in  the  Atlantic  waters.  It  attains  a  height  of  four 
inches  or  more.  Its  main  stem  is  twice  as  thick  as 
a  bristle,  regularly  and  alternately  branched  along 
its  opposite  sides. 

These  branches  are  of  irregular  length.  Some 
of  them  as  long  as  the  main  stem.  Some  half,  and 
some  a  quarter  as  long.  The  primary  branches  also 
branch  along  the  two  sides  in  the  same  plane  and  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  main  stem.  Likewise  the 
secondary  and  tertiary  branchlets  sometimes,  so  that 
the  plant  becomes  pinnately  decompounded  three  or 
four  times,  the  ultimate  ramuli  being  very  fine,  and 
sometimes  long. 


RED    ALGA^:.  269 

It  is  scarce  at  Santa  Barbara,  from  January  to 
,\ugust,  on  the  beach,  growing  parasitical  on  Micro- 
:ladia  and  Cerajnium  riihruni.  It  is  not  uncommon 
„it  Santa  Cruz  all  the  season,  parasitical  on  Ptilota 
lensd.  It  adheres  well  to  paper,  and  the  younger 
fUid  smaller  plants  are  certainly  very  beautiful,  and 
well  worth  looking  for.  The  color  in  them  is  a  deep, 
rich  red,  of  a  darker  shade  in  the  older  plants.  I 
suppose  it  may  be  expected  in  greater  abundance 
farther  north.  It  is  no  doubt  often  collected  at  the 
Golden  Gate 

Callithamnion  heteromorphum,  Ag. 

This  is  by  far  the  most  beautiful  of  the  California 
Callithamnia.  It  is  represented  in  Figure  2,  Plate 
XVIII.  It  has  a  leading  stem  which  extends  through 
the  whole  plant,  giving  off  alternate  branches  from  two 
opposite  sides  at  regular  intervals.  These  branches 
shorten  towards  base  and  apex  from  the  middle,  where, 
in  a  plant  two  inches  high,  they  are  half  an  inch  long, 
This  gives  the  frond  a  very  perfect  lanceolate  outline. 
From  the  primary,  spring  secondary  branches  in  the 
same  way,  which  divide  alternately  towards  the  top, 
in  very  short  branchlets. 

The  peculiar  mark  of  the  species  is  the  little  circlet 
of  delicate  plumes  which  adorns  the  top  of  every 
joint,   in   the   stem  and  branches,  from  the  base  to  the 


270  SEA  MOSSES. 

end  of  the  remotest  divisions.  Except  on  the  main 
stem  these  plumes  are  scarcely  discernible  separately 
to  the  naked  eye.  But  under  a  pocket  lens  they  are 
easily  seen,  and  it  is  these  which  give  the  plant  its 
delicate,  feathery  appearance.  This  is  a  somewhat 
rare  plant,  though  it  is  reported  along  the  whole 
California  coast,  growing  at  all  seasons,  upon  other 
Algae,  in  pools  or  below  tide.  It  is  certainly  well 
worth  a  long  and  laborious  search,  to  fill  one's  hands 
with  the  fronds  of  this  wonderful  little  beauty. 


Thus  ends  our  brief,  and  as  it  seems  to  me, 
altogether  inadequate  survey,  of  the  "  Sea  Mosses," 
of  our  two  far-parted  shores.  I  may  be  permitted 
to  hope,  perhaps,  that  even  the  imperfect  acquaintance 
which  this  little  book  shall  give  its  readers,  with  these 
lower  forms  of  Ocean  Life,  may  teach,  at  least,  the  one 
lesson  of  patience  and  trust  towards  God,  which  the 
Poet  learned  from  them,  long  years  ago. 

SEA  WEED. 

Not  always  unimpeded  can  I  pray, 

Nor,  pitying  saint,  thine  intercession  claim; 

Too  closely  clings  the  burden  of  the  day, 

And  all  the  mint  and  anise  that  I  pay 

But  swells  my  debt  and  deepens  my  self-blame 


RED    ALG^.  27) 

Shall  I  less  patience  have,  than  Thou,  who  know 
That  Thou  revisit'st  all  who  wait  for  Thee, 
Nor  only  ftll'st  the  unsounded  deeps  below. 
But  dost  refresh  with  punatual  overflow 
The  rifts  where  unregarded  mosses  be? 

The  drooping  sea  weed  hears,  in  night  abyss»d. 
Far  and  more  far  the  wave's  receding  shocks. 
Nor  doubts,  for  all  the  darkness  and  the  mist, 
That  the  pale  shepherdess  will  keep  her  tryst, 
And  shore-ward  lead  again  her  foam-fleeced  flocks. 

For  the  same  wave  that  rims  the  Carib  shore 
With  momentary  brede  of  pearl  and  gold, 
Goes  hurrying  thence  to  gladden  with  its  roar 
Lorn  weeds  bound  fast  on  rocks  of  Labrador 
By  love  divine  on  one  sweet  errand  rolled. 

And,  though  Thy  healing  waters  far  withdraw, 
I,  too,  can  wait  and  feed  on  hope  of  Thee 
And  of  the  dear  recurrence  of  Thy  law, 
Sure  that  the  parting  grace  that  morning  saw 
Abides  its  time  to  come  in  search  of  me. 

J.  R.  Lowell 


A    SEA    VIEW. 

I  climbed  the  sea-worn  cliffs  that  edged  the  shore, 
And  looking  downward   watched   the  breakers  curl 
Around  the   rocks,    and  marked   their   mighty  swirl 
Quiver  through  swaying  sea  weed  dark  and  hoar. 
Eastward  the  white  caps  rose  with  far-off  roar, 
Against  a  sky  like   red   and   purple  pearl, 
Then   hollowed  greenly    in,   and    rushed  to   hurl 
Their  weight  of  water    at  the  cliffs  before. 
Only  a  sea-gull  flying  silently, 
And  one  soft   rosy  sail  were  now  in   sight, — 
A   sail   the  sunset   touched   right    tenderly, 
And  flushed  with  dreamy  glory   faintly  bright. 
Then  fain  would  I   have  crossed  the   tossing  sea. 
Fain  dared  the  storm  to  float  within  that  light. 

Alice  Osbornt, 


GLOSSARY. 


Alga, 

Plural 
Alg^.. 

Articulated. 
Axil. 

Axis. 

Capillary. 

Cartilaginous. 

Cilia. 

Chlorophyl. 

Club-shaped. 

Compressed. 

Conceptacle. 
Coriaceous. 

Corymb. 


(  Cryptogamic  plants  which  grow  in  the 
J      water. 

Jointed. 
^The  angle,  on  the  upper  side,  between 
}      the    branch    and    the    stem,   or   be- 
C      tween  two  branches. 
r  The    central  line,  or  direction,    of  the 
(       main  body  of  the  plant. 

Hair-like,  in  size  and  shape. 

Firm  and  tough,  in  texture. 

Short,  slender  processes,  like  eye-lashes. 

The  green  cell  contents. 

Tapering  below,  blunt  above, 
r  Flattened     on    opposite    sides ;     parts 
1      commonly  quite  narrow   in   Algae. 

{The    vessel    which    contains    the    true 
fruit,  in  the  Red  Algae. 
Leathery,  tough. 
/  A  sort  of  flat  or  convex  flower  cluster ; 


imitated  in  some  Algae  by  the  ultimate 
ramuli  at  the  ends  of  the  branchlets. 


274 


SBA  MOSSES, 


Cryptogam. 
Cylindrical 

Filiform. 
Flora. 

Frond. 

Gelatinous. 
Habitat. 

I 

I 

Hold-fast.       ^ 

I 


Ianceolate 

or 
Lance-shaped. 

Lateral. 

Lobe. 

Membraneous. 


A  flowerless  plant, 
r  Formed    like    stems    generally,    round, 
i      and  tapering  if  at  all,  very  slightly. 
{ Thread-shaped,      long,      slender      and 
(      cylindrical. 

f  The   plants   of  a   district,   or   country, 
(      taken  together. 
The    whole    body   of    the   Alga,    main 
stem,  branches  and  ramuli,  all  taken 
together. 
Jelly-like. 

The  place  of  growth  of  a  plant. 
The  part  of  an  Alga,  which  answers 
to  the  root  of  other  plants,  that  by 
which  it  is  attached  to  whatever  it 
grows  upon;  it  may  be  a  mass  ol 
root-fibres,  or  a  thin,  disk-like  expan- 
sion of  the  substance  of  the  frond. 


/  Leaflets  several  times  longer  than  wide, 
\  tapering  upwards,  or  both  upwards 
'^      and  downwards. 

From  the  side. 

A  segment  of  a  membraneous  frond. 

Thin,  more  or  less  translucent,  like 
a  membrane. 


GLOSSARr. 


275 


Midrib. 


Palmate. 

Petiole. 

Papilla, 

Plural 
Papille. 

Pinna, 

Plural 

PlNN^. 

Pinnule, 

Plural 
Pinnule. 


Pinnate. 


Rachis. 

Ramulus, 

Plural 
Ramuli. 


( 


A  large  vein,  or  continuation  of  the 
stalk,  running  through  the  middle  ot 
some  flattened  or  membraneous  fronds 


f  Shaped    like    the    hand,    with   the  fin- 
(      gers  extended. 
A   leaf- stalk. 


Little  nipple-shaped  protuberances. 

C  Primary      leaflets    or    branchlets    of   a 
y      pinnate  frond. 

Secondary,  or  still  smaller  leaflets  oi 
branchlets  of  a  pinnate  frond,  grow- 
ing on  the  pinnae. 

Where  the  secondary  parts  are  ar- 
ranged along  the  sides  of  their 
primaries,  in  same  regular  order,  op- 
posite or  alternate,  like  leaflets 
along  the  sides  of  a  common  petiole. 

That  portion  of  the  stem,  along  which 
the  branches  are  arranged  like  ribs 
along  a  backbone. 

The  smaller  branches,  or  branchlets. 


276 


RED    ALG^. 


segments. 
Serrated. 


bINUOUS. 


Spindle-shaped, 

Spines. 

Spores. 

Tetraspores, 

or 
Tetragonidia. 

Top- shaped. 
Tubercle. 

Veins. 

Vesicle. 
Whorl. 


Divisions  of  the  fronds. 

Toothed  like  a  saw. 
r  The  margin   crooked,   bending   in  and 
I      out. 

r  Tapering   to    each   end    from  a  thick- 

^      ened  middle. 

Small,  thorn-like  processes, 
f  The  seeds    of   the   Algae,     and    other 
I      Cryptogamic  plants. 

The  asexual  spores  of  the  Red  Algae, 
usually  arranged  in  groups  of  fours. 

Like   a  top,  or   a  cone  with  the  apex 

downwards. 
A  small  excrescence. 
Small,  linear  thickenings  of  the  frond, 

which    resemble     the    veinings,     or 

framework  of  the  leaves  of  trees. 
A  bladder. 
Ramuli    arranged    in    a    circle    around 

the  stem  or  branches. 


-^— ...  <^ 


INDEX  OF  GENERA  AND  SPECIES, 


PAGE 
/^GARUM 99 

Turner! 99 

Ahnfeltia 212 

gigartinoides 214 

plicata 212 

Alaria 90 

esculenta 90 

ASPEROCOCCUS lOI 

echinatus loi 

sinuosus 102 

gRYOPSIS 47 

plumosa 4S 

Qalliblepharis 180 

ciliata 180 

Callithamnion 255 

Americanum 256 

Baileyi   261 

Borreri 263 

byssoides 263 

corymbosum 2-67 

cruciatum 260 

Dasyoides 268 

floccosum 259 


PAG« 

heteromorphum 269 

PylaisjEi 257 

versicolor 265 

C  ALLOPHYLLIS 2x6 

flabellulata 218 

furcata 217 

variegata 216 

Castagnea 107 

virescens 108 

Zosterae 107 

Ceramium 239 

Deslongchampsii 242 

fastigiatum 244 

rubrum 240 

strictum 243 

Chjetomorpha 64 

serea 64 

melagonium 64 

Olneyi 65 

Picquotiana 65 

tortuosa •  •  66 

Champia 198 

parvula 198 

Chondkiopsis 161 


278 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

dasjphylla 164 

nidilica 165 

striolata 163 

tenuissima 162 

Chondrus 226 

crispus 226 

Chorda 103 

filum 103 

Chordaria 104 

abietina 106 

divaricata 105 

flagelliformis , 104 

Chylocladia 167 

ovalis 168 

Cladophora 57 

arcta 58 

cartilaginea 60 

flexuosa 63 

glaucescens 62 

gracilis 61 

laetevirens 63 

refracta 61 

rupestris 59 

uncialis 59 

Cladostephus TIO 

spongiosus 112 

verticillatus no 

Corallina iS^ 

officinalis 184 


PAGE 

Cystoclonium 214 

purpurascens 214 

]])asya 138 

elegans 138 

Delesseria 170 

alata 172 

sinuosa ; 170 

Desmarestia 117 

aculeata 118 

latifrons 120 

ligulata 119 

virMis.. 117 

DiCTYONEURON 92 

Californicum 92 

DiCTYOSIPHON 116 

foeniculaceus 1 16 

gCTOCARPUS 112 

Farlowii 114 

firmus 113 

sJ4iculosus 114 

tomentosus «••  115 

viridis 115 

El  ACHISTA 1 10 

fucicola 1 10 

Enteromorpha 49 

clathrata 51 

compressa 5° 


INDEX. 


279 


PAGB 

intestinalis 50 

EuTHORA 192 

cristata 192 

pARLOWIA 196 

compressa 196 

Fucus 78 

fastigiatus 78 

furcfttus 81 

nodosus 80 

vesiculosus 79 

QiGARTINA 219 

canaliculata 224 

mamillosa 220 

microphylla 223 

radula 221 

spinosa 222 

Gelidium 185 

cartilagineum 186 

corneum i8j 

Coulteri 187 

Gloiosiphonia 252 

capillaris 252 

Gracilaria 182 

multipartita 181 

Grateloupia 231 

Cutlerise 231 

Griffithsia 254 

Bornetiana 254 


PAGE 

Grinnellia 168 

Americana 168 

Gymnogongrus ..  209 

Griffithsioe 211 

leptophyllus 210 

linearis 211 

Norvegicus 209 

^ALIDRYS 77 

osmundacea 77 

Halosaccion 233 

ramentaceiim 233 

Hypnea 188 

musciformis 188 


Jrid^a 227 

laminarioides 227 

Laminaria 93 

Andersonii 98 

flexicaulis 97 

longicruris 96 

saccarhina 94 

Laurencia 165 

pinnatifida 166 

virgata 167 

Leathesia 109 

tuberformis 109 

Lomentaria 199 

Baileyana 199 


280 


INDEX. 


FAGB 
|y[ACROCYS  TIS 82 

pji  ifera 82 

Microcardia 236 

Borealis 238 

Californica 238 

Coulten 236 

NJemalion 204 

multifidum 204 

Nereocystis 84 

Liitkeana 84 

NiTOPHYLLUM I74 

Andersonii 177 

flabelligerum 1 79 

Fryeanum 176 

latissimum 175 

Ruprechteanum 178 

spectabile 174 

violaceum 180 

Phyllitis 123 

fascia 123 

Phyllophora 207 

Brodisei 208 

membranifoHa 208 

Phyllospora 76 

Menziesii 76 

PiKEA 195 

Californica 195 

Plocamium 193 


PAGE 

coccmeum... 193 

POLYIDES 203 

rotundus  , 203 

POLYSIPHONIA 14a 

Baileyl 152 

elongata 146 

fastigiata 141 

fibrillosa 149 

Harveyi 143 

nigrescens 151 

Olneyi 144 

parasitica 154 

urceolata 141 

variegata 145 

viola<:ea 148 

Woodii 156 

PORPHYRA 55 

vulgaris 55 

POSTELSIA 87 

palmaeformis 87 

Prionitis 228 

Andersonii 229 

lanceolata 228 

Pterygophora 88 

Californica 86 

Ptilota 246 

asplenoides 251 

densa 249 

elegans 248 


INDEX. 


281 


PAGB 

hypnoides 250 

plumosa 246 

PuNCTARi  A 121 

latifolia 121 

plantaginea 122 

J^H  ABDONIA 201 

Coulter! 20G 

tenera 201 

Rhodomela 157 

floccosa 160 

larix 159 

subfusca.. 157 

Rhodymenia 1S9 

corallina 191 

palmata iS^ 

gARCOPHYLLIS 230 

Californica 230 


PAGE 

Sargassum 74 

vulgare 74 

Scinaia 206 

furcellata 206 

ScYTOSiPHON 123 

lomentarius •  123 

-Spyridia 234 

filamentosa 234 

Stenogramma 194 

interrupta 194 

Stilophora ICX) 

rhizodes 100 

U^VA 52 

fasciata 54 

iactuca 54 

latissima 52 


^ONARIA 

Tourneforfii 


73 
73 


Libniry 
N.   C.   State    College 


.^ 


..'  x'^s  w  '^i- 


•  V^Mf^^ 


.X 


.  ^^^^^ 


l^M  %^< 


M,-pf:r  ^rfe-^''^ 


^^. 


A^^ 


-t  ^       -V.SN  \ 


'>&i;^. 


%s^^^>  5 


